All Grown Up: 2nd Generation Rugrats Part 3
by TCKing12
Summary: All of The Rugrats's children are now married and they now have children of their own. (Please note that the main focus will be on Peter (Me), Kimi, Abigail, Logan, George, Tamara, and their children)
1. Abigail And Logan Return

**Chapter 1: Abigail And Logan Return**

_"Location: Richmond, Virginia, June 3rd 2045"_

It was 2 weeks after Abigail and Logan left for their honeymoon and Peter (Me), Kimi, and George were relaxing at their house.

Peter was filling out paperwork in his office when Kimi ran into the office.

"What is it?" Peter asked.

"Abigail and Logan are back." Kimi said.

Peter smiled and he got up. He walked out to the front yard with Kimi and they got there just as Logan and George were helping Abigail out of Abigail's car.

"Hey guys." Peter said while he and Kimi walked up to Abigail and Logan.

"Hi dad." Abigail said.

Abigail hugged Kimi and then she hugged Peter.

"Why are you back a day early?" Kimi asked.

"We wanted to surprise you." Logan said.

"Well then, welcome home." Peter said.

Abigail and Logan smiled and everyone walked back into the house.

* * *

After Abigail and Logan finished putting away their things, they walked out into the living room and they told Peter, Kimi, and George everything that they did while in Italy.

"It sounds like you had a fun time." George said.

"We did." Logan said.

Kimi looked at Abigail and Logan and she said "There's something that we need to tell you guys.".

Abigail and Logan looked at Kimi and Kimi said "George and Tamara got engaged while you guys were away.".

Abigail and Logan became happy for George and Abigail hugged her brother.

"Congratulations George." Abigail said.

"Thank you Abigail." George said.

Abigail let go of George and Logan patted George on his shoulder.

"Congratulations." Logan said.

"Thank you Logan." George said.


	2. Abigail's Discovery

**Chapter 2: Abigail's Discovery**

4 years later.

* * *

Tommy- 47 years old

Chuckie- 48 years old

Lil- 47 years old

Phil- 47 years old

Angelica- 49 years old

Susie- 49 years old

Dil- 44 years old

Kimi- 46 years old

Peter- 50 years old

Nicole- 49 years old

Harold- 49 years old

Stephen- 48 years old

Wendy- 45 years old

Adam- 26 years old. He, and Jeniifer now have a daughter: Miriam. Miriam is 1 years old, has dark purple hair, and brown eyes.

Rachael- 26 years old. She and Gregory have a son: Jacob. He is 1 year old and he has orange hair and blue eyes.

Charles- 27 years old. He and Ashley have a daughter: Jessica. Jessica is 2 years old and she has blonde hair and emerald colored eyes.

Benjamin- 26 years old. He and Danielle have a daughter: Chelsea. Chelsea is 1 year old and she has black hair and brown eyes.

Megan- 27 years old. She and James have a son: Phillip. Phillp is 2 years old and he has light brown hair and blue eyes.

Camden- 28 years old. She and Cody have a son: Jonathan. Jonathan is 2 years old and he has blond hair and brown eyes.

Bob- 28 years old. He and Felicia have a daughter: Susan. Susan is 2 years old and she has brown hair and brown eyes.

Emily- 26 years old. She and Johnny now have a son: Alex. Alex is 1 year old and he has chestnut colored hair and emerald colored eyes.

Abigail- 24 years old

George- 24 years old. He and Tamara are now married and they have 2 daughters. The oldest daughter is named Elsbeth and she is 3 years old and has deathly pale skin and whitish blonde hair and blue eyes and she looks German. The youngest daughter is named Eva and she is 1 year old and has dark purple hair and blue eyes and she looks Japanese.

Logan- 24 years old

Beth- 49 years old

Jennifer- 25 years old

Gregory- 27 years old

Ashley- 26 years old

Danielle- 25 years old

James- 29 years old

Cody- 29 years old

Felicia- 27 years old

Johnny- 27 years old

Tamara- 23 years old

* * *

_'Location: Richmond, Virginia, January 18th 2049"_

Logan woke up in his and Abigail's bed and he saw that Abigail wasn't with him.

He sat up and he got out of bed. He got changed into his Royal Gray Confederate Uniform and then he walked out of the room.

He walked through the hallway and he walked into the kitchen where he found Abigail. She was still wearing her nightgown and her hair was loose from it's braid.

He walked over to her and he wrapped his arms around her neck and he kissed her left cheek.

"Good morning Abigail." Logan said.

"Good morning Logan." Abigail said.

She turned around and faced him and they kissed each other on the lips.

"Why weren't you in bed with me when I woke up?" Logan asked.

"I decided to wake up earlier." Abigail said.

Logan nodded and just then, George walked into the room.

"Hey guys." George said.

"Hello George." Abigail and Logan said at the same time.

Tamara walked into the room while carrying Eva and she was followed by Elsbeth.

Elsbeth spotted her uncle and aunt and she ran up to Abigail and Logan and she gave them a hug.

The 5 of them then got stuff to eat and they walked over to the kitchen table and they ate their food.

When they were done, Abigail stood up and she said "I'm going to go and visit the trolls for a while.".

"Alright." Tamara said.

Abigail then walked out of the kitchen and she walked into her room. She got changed into her Royal Gray Confederate Uniform and she fixed her braid. She then walked through the hallway and then she walked out the front door. She then activated a portal and she stepped through it.

* * *

Abigail found herself in Arendelle and she made her way to where the trolls lived. Once she got to the basin, the trolls greeted Abigail and they did stuff together.

When it was lunchtime, the trolls and Abigail ate. However, Abigail ate an unusually large amount of food and she nearly fainted. But Bulda caught her and she asked "Are you alright Abigail?".

Abigail shook her head and she said "Yeah, I'm fine... I just feel a little lightheaded.".

Bulda motioned for her to sit on a large stone and Pabbie slowly walked over to her. He put his hand on her head and he gasped.

Pabbie then put Abigail's hands in his and he said "Abigail, there is something inside you.".

Abigail's eyes widened and she asked "Wait a minute, are you saying that...".

"Yes Abigail." Pabbie said. He then said "Your pregnant.".

Abigail gasped and laughed happily.

"Do you know what gender it is?" Abigail asked.

Pabbie shook his head and he said "No I do not.". He then said "I suggest that you go back to your house and tell Logan.".

Abigail nodded and she said "Your right!".

She then said goodbye and she activated a portal that would take her back to her house. She then stepped through it.


	3. Sharing The News

**Chapter 3: Sharing The News**

Abigail found herself back at the house and she walked inside.

"I'm back!" Abigail called out.

Logan walked out and he said "Hi Abigail.".

They kissed each other and Abigail asked "Logan, can I talk to you and everyone else?".

"Sure." Logan said.

Logan went to find everyone and they gathered in the living room.

"What do you need?" Kimi asked.

"I have some good news to share with all of you." Abigail said.

She looked over at everyone and she said "I'm pregnant!".

Peter, Kimi, George, Tamara, and Logan gasped and then they laughed happily.

Kimi congratulated her daughter and she whispered "Congratulations Abigail.".

"Thanks mom." Abigail said.

Abigail let go of her mother and she looked at Peter. He chuckled warmly and he hugged her.

"I'm so happy for you and Logan." Peter said.

"Thank you dad." Abigail said.

Abigail let go of her father and she turned to George.

George hugged his older sister and he said "Congratulations Abigail.".

"Tnanks George." Abigail said.

She let go of her brother and she turned to Tamara who congratulated her.

Abigail then turned to Logan and they hugged each other.

The two of them were happy that they were going to be parents.


	4. Hospital Visit

**Chapter 4: Hospital Visit**

The next morning, Abigail and Logan went to The Richmond City Hospital so they could see the ultrasound of their baby. Logan was just happy to be there for Abigail while she was carrying his child, and Abigail was so grateful for being with Logan while she was carrying his child. Abigail's nurse, Gwen Trudy, who had taken over for Mary Niddala when Mary had retired, put the gel on Abigail's stomach so she could see the baby's heart rate.

When she heard the heart rate, Gwen gasped and she nodded.

"What? What is it?" Logan asked as he was holding the grip of Abigail's hand.

Is something wrong with my baby?" Abigail asked while getting nervous.

"No, nothing is wrong with the baby." Gwen said. She then said "It's just that I know what the gender of the baby is.". She then asked "Do you two want to know what the gender is or do you want it to be a surprise?".

Abigail and Logan looked at each other and they smiled. The two of them then looked back at Gwen and Logan said "I think that we want to know the gender now.".

"Alright then." Gwen said. She then said "It's a girl.".

"What?" Logan asked. He was shocked and he could feel his heart beep rising.

"Congrats." Gwen said.

Logan then became happy and he kissed Abigail.

"I can't believe that this is really happening." Abigail said.

"Me either. But I still love you and our little girl." Logan replied as they had a passionate romantic kiss.


	5. The Birth

**Chapter 5: The Birth**

8 months later

* * *

Tommy- 48 years old

Chuckie- 49 years old

Lil- 48 years old

Phil- 48 years old

Angelica- 50 years old

Susie- 50 years old

Dil- 45 years old

Kimi- 47 years old

Peter- 51 years old

Nicole- 50 years old

Harold- 50 years old

Stephen- 49 years old

Wendy- 46 years old

Adam- 27 years old.

Rachael- 27 years old.

Charles- 28 years old.

Benjamin- 27 years old.

Megan- 28 years old.

Camden- 29 years old.

Bob- 29 years old.

Emily- 27 years old.

Abigail- 25 years old

George- 25 years old.

Logan- 25 years old

Beth- 50 years old

Jennifer- 26 years old

Gregory- 28 years old

Ashley- 27 years old

Danielle- 26 years old

James- 30 years old

Cody- 30 years old

Felicia- 28 years old

Johnny- 28 years old

Tamara- 24 years old

Miriam- 2 years old

Jacob- 2 years old

Jessica- 3 years old

Chelsea- 2 years old

Phillip- 3 years old

Jonathan- 3 years old

Susan- 3 years old

Alex- 2 years old

Eva- 2 years old

Elsbeth- 4 years old

* * *

_"Location: Modesto, California, October 23rd 2049"_

Abigail was spending time at Susie and Stephen's house. By now, Abigail's stomach was very swollen which signaled that she was nearing the end of her pregnancy. Never in her life had the dark purple haired princess been so thrilled... or scared.

The thought of having children of her own made her feel so joyful and excited, but the thought of having someone depending on her so much also filled her with fear. She wanted to be a good mother, she wanted to hold a child of her own, and she wanted to have a strong bond that one could only have with her child. The bond that she has with her parents.

Anyway, Abigail was sitting in the living room while talking to Susie and Stephen.

"So how are you two doing?" Abigail asked.

"We're fine." Stephen said.

"And how is Bob and Felicia dong?" Abigail asked.

"They're doing good as well." Stephen said.

Abigail nodded and she smiled, but then she felt her water brake and she started to feel a lot of pain inside her.

"Uh-oh!" Abigail said.

"What's wrong?" Susie asked.

"I think that my water just broke!" Abigail responded as she kept taking deep breaths.

Susie and Stephen went into total shock and they were freaking out. Susie went over to the phone and she called Peter and Kimi and she told them that Abigail was in labor.

"Keep taking deep breaths! You will be fine." Susie said after she hung up the phone.

* * *

Meanwhile, Logan was hanging out at The Java Lava with Adam and Charles.

Suddenly, Logan's cell phone started ringing and Abigail's face popped up on the screen.

"It's Abigail." Logan said.

"Then why are you standing there? Go answer the phone." Adam said.

Logan nodded and he answered the phone.

"Hello?" Logan asked.

"Logan, is this you?" Kimi asked.

"Yes it's me. What's wrong mom?" Logan asked. He then asked "Is Abigail okay?".

"Logan, you need to quickly get to the hospital. Abigail is in labor!" Kimi said.

Logan panicked when Kimi told him that Abigail was in labor.

Logan nodded and he took a deep breath and he said "Okay. Just tell Abigail that I'm on my way.". He then hung up the phone.

He ran towards the door and he said "I got to go!".

"What is it?" Adam and Charles asked at the same time.

"Abigail is in labor." Logan said.

Adam and Charles gasped and then they said "We'll take you up there."

"Are you sure?" Logan asked.

"Of course we're sure!" Charles said. He then said "Let's go! My cousin isn't going to wait any longer.".

Logan nodded and he, Adam, and Charles ran to Logan's car.

* * *

At The Richmond City Hospital, Abigail was in so much pain. The baby was kicking her left and right and it wouldn't stop. Peter, Kimi, George, and Tamara were in the room and they were trying to calm her down which didn't work at all.

"Abigail, calm down before you have high blood pressure!" Tamara said.

"How can I calm down if the baby is kicking me?" Abigail yelled at her Sister-In-Law.

Kimi put a cold towel on Abigail's head to calm her down and she said "Calm down sweetie! Logan should be on his way.".

Abigail nodded and she closed her eyes and she gritted her teeth because of the pain.

Just then, Logan ran into the room and he said "I'm here!".

Abigail opened her eyes and she turned her head and gasped as she saw Logan running into the room with Beth and Nurse Gwen Trudy.

"Hey Abigail." Logan said softly as he approached her.

Abigail smiled and Logan gave her a light kiss on her mouth.

Just then Abigail began to feel pain again and she screamed.

"Abigail, are you okay?" Logan asked.

"I think that the baby is coming now." George said.

"Stand aside." Gwen said to the others as she was getting ready to get the baby out.

Logan grasped Abigail's hand and he asked "Abigail, when I say push, you push okay?".

Abigail nodded and she said "Okay.".

"Alright! Let's get started." Gwen said as she got her gloves and her tools ready.

"Alright push!" Gwen yelled.

Abigail screamed as she gave a push.

"Push! I can see a head!" Gwen said.

Everyone encouraged Abigail to push.

"You can do it Abigail! I know you can!" Logan said.

Abigail nodded as she held Logan's hand really tightly as she gave one last push.

Suddenly, a baby came right on out and it was screaming it's lungs out. The baby had orange hair and emerald colored eyes and it looked Japanese.

"It's a girl! Congratulations your majesties!" Gwen said to Abigail and Logan as she held the baby.

"She's perfect!" Abigail cried as Logan held her tightly.

Gwen handed the baby over to Abigail and Logan and they got a chance to hold their baby girl for the first time.

"She's perfect!" Logan whispered to Abigail.

"I know." Abigail said while smiling.

"What should we name her?" Logan asked.

"How about Lucy Watanabe Frost? My mom's last name and your last name." Abigail suggested.

"It's perfect!" Logan said. He gently kissed Abigail and he said "I love you!".

"I love you too." Abigail said.

Kimi walked up to the two of them and she said "Congratulations guys.".

"Thanks mom." Abigail said.

Kimi smiled and she asked "Do you think that I could hold her?".

Abigail nodded and she handed Lucy gently over to Kimi. Kimi held her new granddaughter and tears of joy formed in her eyes.

"She's beautiful." Kimi said.

She then handed Lucy over to George.

"She looks just like her parents." George said as he held his new niece.

George then handed Lucy over to Tamara who held her for a few moments.

Tamara then handed her over to Beth. Beth held her new granddaughter for a few moments and she chuckled warmly.

Beth then handed Lucy over to Peter who was smiling.

Peter held his new granddaughter and he said "Congratulations you guys.".

"Thanks dad." Abigail said.

While he was holding Lucy, Peter could see that Abigail looked tired. So he said "Guys, I think that Abigail needs to rest because it has been a long, tiring day for her.".

Logan nodded and he pulled the pillows forward to comfortably rest against Abigail's back,

"Thank you Logan." Abigail said as she cupped her husband's face in her hands and gently kissed him on the lips.

"Promise that you will call me when your awake?" Logan asked.

"I promise." Abigail said. Logan could see that Abigail's eyes were drooping, so he placed a kiss on her forehead and everyone left her in peace.

Gwen joined everyone in the hallway and Peter said "Thank you Gwen for all you've done today.".

Gwen blushed, which caused the freckles on her face to stand out, and she said "Oh no, your majesty. I've only done my job for the good of the nation.".

"Well, you may take the day off from your job, because tonight we will celebrate!" Peter said.

Gwen nodded and she left.


	6. Rafiki Blesses Lucy

**Chapter 6: Rafiki Blesses Lucy**

Following the birth of Princess Lucy, the entire country of The Confederacy broke free from it's regular routines to celebrate the joyous occasion. Parades, feasts, festivals, and dances were all held in Lucy's royal name.

Now at the end of the day, after all of the celebrations had come to a completion, the people returned to their homes.

Logan was in his room, reading a book, when Rakifi entered the room and he cleared his throat and he bowed deeply.

"Hey Logan." Rafiki said.

Logan looked up from his book and he said "It's good to see you.".

"Yes it is. But I must say, it's a joyous occasion to reconnect. Congratulations on becoming a father." Rakiki said.

"Thank you. Abigail and I are so happy about becoming parents." Logan said.

"Yes, we are." Abigail said as she entered with her daughter sleeping in her arms. Rafiki smiled at the sight.

"Oh, the blessed child! She is beautiful, guys." Rafiki said.

"Thank you Rafiki, and thank you for coming." Abigail said.

"Of course, it is my pleasure. I shall bless the girl with the blessing of God and the great Kings and Queens of the past." Rafiki said.

He then reached for the Lucy and he asked "Might I hold her?".

Abigail gently transferred Lucy to the shaman's arms. Lucy slowly stretched her little arms and yawned, which earned adorned smiles from the adults. All was quiet as Rafiki studied the child.

"May I have a moment alone with her? That is if you don't mind, of course." Rafiki asked.

"Sure. Take all of the time you need." Logan said. He placed a hand on his wife's lower back and he led her to the next room.

Alone, Rafiki turned to sit on the large daybed and he tightly grasped his staff.

"You have an interesting future ahead of you, my child." Rafiki said.

He spoke to Lucy as if she could fully understand his words.

"You have a greatness in your soul that many dream of possessing. The spirits have told me that you will achieve much sublimity, but not without trial, of course. Every great King and Queen must face their share of tribulations. It's how they cope with such tribulations that makes them a great leader." Rafiki said.

He closed his eyes and he hummed a slow blessing prayer which lured Lucy back to sleep.

'There. You are blessed, my dear child." Rafiki said.

He then stood up to return Lucy to her parents. As he did, he thought that he saw Lucy smiling up at him.


	7. Viewing The Nation

**Chapter 7: Viewing The Nation**

9 years later

* * *

Tommy- 57 years old

Chuckie- 58 years old

Lil- 57 years old

Phil- 57 years old

Angelica- 59 years old

Susie- 59 years old

Dil- 54 years old

Kimi- 56 years old

Peter- 60 years old

Nicole- 59 years old

Harold- 59 years old

Stephen- 58 years old

Wendy- 55 years old

Adam- 36 years old

Rachael- 36 years old

Charles- 37 years old

Benjamin- 36 years old

Megan- 37 years old

Camden- 38 years old

Bob- 38 years old

Emily- 36 years old

Abigail- 34 years old

George- 34 years old

Logan- 34 years old

Beth- 59 years old

Jennifer- 35 years old

Gregory- 37 years old

Ashley- 36 years old

Danielle- 35 years old

James- 39 years old

Cody- 39 years old

Felicia- 37 years old

Johnny- 37 years old

Tamara- 33 years old

Miriam- 11 years old

Jacob- 11 years old

Jessica- 12 years old

Chelsea- 11 years old

Phillip- 12 years old

Jonathan- 12 years old

Susan- 12 years old

Alex- 11 years old

Lucy- 9 years old

Eva- 11 years old. She now has one lock of hair that is whitish blonde and the rest of her hair is still dark purple.

Elsbeth- 13 years old. Elsbeth now knows an interesting fact about her that she learned when she was 7 years old. She has ice powers.

* * *

_"Location: Richmond, Virginia, July 5th 2058"_

In the early morning, a young girl sat by the window of her room in Peter and Kimi's house and she watched the sleeping city of Richmond. It was quiet and vacant of people in the early morning. Her orange hair was rearranged into a ponytail and she had on a Royal Gray Confederate Uniform.

The girl had been sitting in the room alone for hours and she hadn't slept at all and she could no longer be patient.

She got up from her seat and she sprinted straight to her parent's large bedroom.

"Dad!" the girl whispered loudly.

Her father didn't wake from his sleep and the girl bounced on the bed and shook her father's shoulder.

"Alright Lucy. Enough already, I'm awake." he said.

Lucy frowned and she said "Come on dad, you have to get up. You promised that we would do it today!".

Logan opened one eye to see his nine year old daughter smiling widely at him, a small gap between her teeth. Her emerald green eyes, which were so much like his, were filled with anticipation.

"Alright, alright, I'm up." Logan said.

Lucy beamed and she said "Yes! Come on, let's go!".

She bounded out of the room full of energy as Logan sat up slowly, exhausted from being woken up before dawn.

"She's definitely your daughter." his still half asleep wife mumbled from her side of the bed beside him.

Logan chuckled and he kissed Abigail lightly on her forehead and he let her fall back to sleep. He then took his time getting dressed, much to his daughter's disdain.

"Da-ad! We're going to miss it!" Lucy said as she pulled her father along, which barely gave him time to make sure that his Royal Gray Confederate Uniform was buttoned.

Logan laughed at Lucy's eagerness and he said "Calm down Lucy. We aren't going to miss it, I promise.".

When he was done getting dressed, the two of them woke Peter up and once he was dressed in his Royal Gray Confederate Uniform, the three of them walked outside. They got into Peter's car and they were off.

They made it to the outer edge of The Confederacy to the town of Stolz, in a little under 2 hours and just as the sun was rising.

They came to a gate of a viewing tower and the guards of the gate saluted and came to attention at the sight of the king, prince, and princess.

"Good morning your majesty." the head guard greeted cordially. He then asked "What brings you to this far side of the nation so early?".

Peter smiled proudly and he said "I am showing my granddaughter our glorious nation, Fredrick. It's her first time seeing it from the tower.".

The guard, Fredrick, laughed good-naturedly and he asked "Well now, isn't that something? First time, eh?". Lucy nodded and Fredrick said "That's good. It should be a treat then.".

"It certainly is Fredrick." Logan said.

"I don't want to waste your time with my ramblings then." Fredrick said.

He unlocked the door that led to the viewing tower and he said "Enjoy your day.".

"Thank you Fredrick." Logan said.

Lucy wasted no time in bolting up the stairs. She made it up to the top just as the light from the sunrise came up over the hills and spilled across the land. Lucy's eyes widened and she whispered "Wow.".

Logan smiled and he appreciated the wonder that his daughter was taking in.

"Take a good long look Lucy. Everything that you see that is before you, every brick of every house, every road, every blade of grass, and all of the other things that you see is our nation." Peter said.

As he said that, the roofs and buildings in the many towns and cities in the different states of The Confederacy were shining and glistering with the morning dew. In the distance, they could just make out the silhouette of the city of Richmond rising up from behind the hills. It was indeed a beautiful sight.

"Wow." Lucy repeated, mesmerized.

"A king or queen's time rises and falls much like the sun." Peter said. He then said "One day Lucy, the sun will set on mine and your grandmother's time, and then another day it will set on your parent's and your uncle's and aunt's time, and it will rise as you, Eva, and Elsbeth as the new queens.".

"And this will be mine, Eva, and Elsbeth's?" Lucy asked.

"Yes Lucy." Logan reassured.

Lucy nodded and she continued to look at all of the land. When she was done, the three of them headed out of the tower.

They walked back to the car, and they drove off.


	8. The Time Machine

**Chapter 8: The Time Machine**

By the time that Peter, Logan, and Lucy got back to the house, Kimi, Abigail, Tamara, Eva, and Elsbeth were already awake.

Anyway, Peter, Logan, and Lucy got back to the house and they walked through the kitchen door where they found Elsbeth having breakfast. She wasn't wearing her Royal Gray Confederate Uniform, but instead she was wearing a dirndlkleider because of her German lineage.

"Hey Elsbeth." Peter said.

Elsbeth looked at them and she said hello. Peter, Logan, and Lucy then got something to eat and they sat down at the table.

When she was done eating, Lucy looked at Elsbeth and she asked "Do you want to do something with me?".

Elsbeth looked at her cousin and she said "I guess so.".

So the two of them walked out of the kitchen and Lucy waited in the living room while Elsbeth put on her Royal Gray Confederate Uniform over her dirndlkleider. When she was done, Elsbeth walked out to the living room and she and Lucy talked about what they wanted to do. After discussing it, they decided that they would look around in the attic. So they headed up the stairs and they walked into the attic and they began to look around.

After 5 minutes, they were still looking around.

Now Lucy was looking through old toys that Kimi used to own when she found a gray metal box. The box was small and there was a lock that was connected to a chain that was wrapped around the box.

"Elsbeth!" Lucy called out.

Elsbeth walked over to where Lucy was and she asked "What is it?".

"What is this?" Lucy asked as she held up the box.

Elsbeth took it from her and she looked at it.

"I don't know." Elsbeth said.

She looked around for a tag that would describe what was inside the box but there was nothing.

"Although maybe grandmother would know." Elsbeth said.

"I think that your right." Lucy said.

So the two of them walked downstairs with the box and they found Kimi who was in her and Peter's room.

"Grandmother, what is this?" Elsbeth asked.

Kimi looked at it and she said "I don't know.". She thought about it and she said "Go ask your grandfather about this. Maybe he would know.".

So Lucy and Elsbeth left Kimi and they found Peter who was in the living room.

"Grandfather, what is this?" Lucy asked.

Peter looked at it and his eyes widened.

"I know what this is." Peter said.

"What is it?" Elsbeth asked.

Peter looked at her and he said "It's a time machine.".

"What?" Lucy and Elsbeth asked at the same time.

"It's true." Peter said.

He then told them to wait where they were and he walked into his room. After a few moments, he came back out with a key. He walked over to the box and he put the key in the lock and the chain fell off. He then opened the box and inside was a strange device like Elsbeth and Lucy had never seen.

It was a small black box with a bunch of buttons that had numbers. There was also a panel in the middle that showed that day's time and below the panel it showed a button that said Go.

"So, that's it?" Lucy asked.

"Yes. I invented it back in the year 2013." Peter said.

He looked at Elsbeth and Lucy and he asked "Would you two like to use the time machine?".

Lucy and Elsbeth gasped and they thought it over. Once they were done thinking, the two of them said at the same time "Yes!".

Peter nodded and asked them what time they wanted to go to.

Lucy and Elsbeth discussed it and when they were done, they turned to Peter and they told him.

Peter nodded and he wrote down a note for Kimi, which said that if she was wondering where he, Elsbeth, and Lucy was, then she would know that they were traveling through time, and he also put a button by the letter. The button would allow her to travel to the time that Peter, Elsbeth, and Lucy had traveled to. He put the letter and button on a shelf.

When he had finished doing that, Peter put the time into the time machine and he pressed the Go button.

When he did that, the three of them vanished in a flash of white light.


	9. Back To The Time Of World War 2

**Chapter 9: Back To The Time Of World War 2**

_"Note: Translations are in italics"_

When the white light vanished, Peter, Lucy, and Elsbeth found themselves in a time corridor. Various colors and images of different times in history swirled around them. Then the time corridor faded and the three of them were knocked unconscious.

* * *

_"Location: Somewhere In Belgium, December 16th 1944"_

When Peter woke up, he found himself in a foxhole in the ground and he saw that he was under a pine tree. So, he climbed out from beneath the tree and he looked around.

The sun in the sky had set and all around him was silence. Snow was lightly falling from the sky and he could also tell that there had been a battle because the ground was torn up, trees were toppled, and there were foxholes all around him in the ground, and the ground around the foxholes was littered with the frozen bodies of American and German soldiers.

He could also see tank trends in the snow which passed right through.

That's when Peter realized that Lucy and Elsbeth were not with him.

So he ran through the scarred landscape while he looked for them. He was having trouble finding them, but just as he was about to give up he heard a moan.

His attention fell upon another foxhole and he ran over to it and he jumped down into it and he found Elsbeth.

She was under an overturned jeep and she was struggling to get out. No matter how hard she tried, Elsbeth's struggles didn't help and her struggles caused a layer of ice to coat over the jeep.

Peter ran over to her and he slowly pulled her out.

"Are you alright?" Peter asked her.

Elsbeth looked at him and she said "I'm fine.". She then asked "So, where are we?".

Peter looked at the time machine's panel and he "We're in Belgium during The Battle Of The Bulge according to the time machine.".

Elsbeth smiled and she nodded. But a moment later, her smile faded and she asked "Where's Lucy?".

Peter sighed and he said "I think that the Nazis might have gotten her.".

Elsbeth gasped and she asked "Do you think that they'll hurt her?".

Peter thought about it and he said "Yes and no.".

"How so?" Elsbeth asked.

"She probably will be hurt because she isn't one of the Germans and they'll probably think that she is an enemy. On the other hand, she won't be hurt because if you time travel, then you can't be killed unless if you are in your own time. So if they try to shoot her, then the bullets will just deflect off her skin." Peter said.

Elsbeth nodded and she said "Okay then.".

So Peter and Elsbeth started off. They followed a row of boot prints in the snow and they didn't get far when they skittered down an icy embankment and landed in a puff of snow by the side of an icy road. They stood up and brushed themselves off and then they looked at the road.

The road was made out of cobblestones and there was a fine layer of fog.

"Which way do you think that we should go?" Elsbeth asked.

Peter looked to his left and then to his right and then he pointed to the right.

"We'll go that way." Peter said.

So they started walking down the road.

On the ground, the road was empty and Peter and Elsbeth started to wonder if they were even going in the right direction, but then they saw a man laying facedown on the ground by the side of the road. He had a dusting of snow over him and as Peter and Elsbeth got closer to him, they saw that he wore an American uniform. He died on a march and he was just left there, unburied in a ditch.

Peter and Elsbeth stepped away from the body and they continued moving. As they went down the road, they saw two more bodies but they kept on moving without stopping to look.

As they rounded a bend in the road, Elsbeth stopped walking and she looked into the fog.

"What is it?" Peter asked.

"Ssh!" Elsbeth said.

Someone must have been nearby and they must have heard her because a voice shouted "Wer is da? Zeigen Sie sich! Hande hoch! _(Who is there? Show yourself! Hands up!)_".

Peter and Elsbeth gasped and they held their breath.

"Zeigen Sie Sich! _(Show_ yourself!)" the voice shouted again.

Peter and Elsbeth silently, but quickly, ran to the side of the road and they hid in a ditch.

"Why are we doing this? I thought that we can't get killed because we're not in the year 2058!" Elsbeth whispered to Peter.

"I know. I just don't want to fight this person." Peter whispered.

Elsbeth nodded and she became silent.

"Ist jemand da? _(Is someone there?)_" the voice asked.

When Peter and Elsbeth didn't speak, a figure emerged from the fog. It was a German who held a rifle in front of him, and he pivoted from side to side while he surveyed the road.

He got closer and closer to Peter and Elsbeth's hiding spot but he didn't see them and he walked by. But as he did, Peter and Elsbeth could finally see him clearly. The soldier was young, probably about fourteen or fifteen years old, his cheeks were bright red from the cold, his hands shook on the rifle stock, and his coat and helmet was too large for him.

"Wer is da? _(Who is there?)_" the soldier asked again.

Peter and Elsbeth could see his breath in the air in front of him which puffed out like steam from a train engine, and his breath was so fast. He was afraid and they could tell because the soldier turned and pointed at every noise and his finger was twitching on the trigger.

After a minute, the soldier backed away in the direction of where he came from.

He called out something to someone and Peter and Elsbeth crept behind a ring of sandbags where the soldier and another soldier had rifles pointed at the road.

Peter and Elsbeth got to the other side of the road and they continued forward. As they moved forward, they encountered no one else.

After a while of walking, Peter and Elsbeth reached the edge of a town.


	10. Finding The Americans

**Chapter 10: Finding The Americans**

The town looked like nothing Peter and Elsbeth had ever seen before. The sun had started to rise, but with the heavy cloud cover and the continued snow, everything was cast in a soupy gray.

Peter and Elsbeth hid in a row of trees on a hill that was on the edge of the town. From there, they could see down at what was left of the town square.

There was a church in the town and it's steeple was blasted completely off and the old stone buildings all around the church were either totally collapsed or riddled with so many bullet holes that the buildings looked like that they were made out of lace, not stone. Rubble blocked the streets and not just rubble. Amid the crumbled stones and wooden fragments, there were possessions that were tossed from the houses by whatever explosion that had leveled the town. Peter and Elsbeth saw an smashed piano that was flipped onto it's back, a burned car crushed beneath the wall of a house, rags, broken plates, heaps of ruined chairs and tables, smashed picture frames, and the crushed body of a child's rocking horse.

And then they saw people.

There were about fifteen of them clustered around a small fire by the side of the church. They were dressed in mismatched layers of clothes and they were bundled against the cold in whatever they could find. There were a few old women and men and three or four small children and there were no teenagers or men of fighting age. The people stood close together but they didn't speak and they looked down at the ground or into the fire and their faces were thin and tired.

It was obvious that the town had been the scene of a fight and that they were under Nazi control now. From the looks of it, no matter who won the battle raging across Belgium, this place had already lost and these people were all that was left.

Peter and Elsbeth heard a shout and one of the old men looked up. They followed his gaze to the rear corner of the church and they saw a Nazi officer step into view, dressed in the familiar long coat and peaked cap. Even from their distance, Peter and Elsbeth could make out the shine of the two lightning bolts on his collar: the SS.

The SS weren't like normal German Army soldiers. They were a special organization run by the Nazi leadership, not the German Army, and they were the ones who murdered citizens, burned entire villages, and rounded up the Jew of Eastern Europe to slaughter them like cattle. From everything that Peter and Elsbeth had learned, the German Army soldiers were basically all right. They were just normal soldiers who fought hard but knew when they were beat. The SS on the other hand, had the idea of "Resistance to the death.". They were the ones who would rather see the whole world burn then surrender.

And they were the ones who had taken Lucy.

The SS officer beckoned for the old man at the fire to come to him and Peter and Elsbeth watched as the officer asked the man some sort of question. When he was satisfied, the officer pointed to the side of the church that Peter and Elsbeth couldn't see, and from around the corner came two more German soldiers. They were normal army men in army coats and helmets and not the feared SS.

Behind the soldiers, marched an American with his arm in a sling and behind him another, limping, and then more kept on coming. They marched silently and there were so many of them that Peter and Elsbeth lost count. They just kept coming and the old man led them to the small fire where they huddled together. There were far too many men for a small fire.

The civilians scattered and they disappeared into the dark doorways of the ruined buildings.

Peter and Elsbeth didn't see them again.

They noticed that most of the Americans didn't have shoes on and they marched across the freezing, snowy ground in their green army socks, some of which were mere shreds so the men were barefoot in the snow. Toward the back of the line, hobbling along, was Lucy who was looking down at the ground so she could avoid drawing any attention to herself. A man behind her limped and he used Lucy's shoulder for balance.

Relief came over Peter and Elsbeth like a warm blanket. They had found her and although her feet must have been cold, she did not appear to have been harmed by the Germans.

At the back of the line of Americans, there were a few more German Army soldiers and three more SS men who were surveying the huddled crowd of prisoners. One of the SS men led a big brown and black German shepherd. The dog looked alert and his eyes were fixed on the American soldiers who were trying to warm their hands and feet around the fire.

"Funf minuten! _(Five minutes!)_" the SS officer yelled at the Americans.

Suddenly, a small blond boy ran out from the shadows of a mostly destroyed house and he rushed up to the Americans. The boy had curly golden hair that shined in the dim morning light like a halo or a crown. It was the only vivid color in the otherwise gray and brown landscape.

He approached the injured man beside Lucy and he tugged on his tattered pants. The man, who's name was Mike, turned down to the boy and the boy shoved something into Mike's hand and he ran off. The SS men watched him go but they said nothing.

Mike whispered something to Lucy and he tore off a piece of what the boy had given him. It was bread and he offered some to Lucy.

Peter and Elsbeth couldn't tell what Lucy had said, but her gestures were clear enough. She had turned it down and she pushed the piece back to Mike because she figured that the injured man needed it more. But Mike insisted even after Lucy refused again. So she ate a little bit and then she passed her chunk of bread down the line for a few others to get a taste.

The Germans laughed at something and then they started shouting. They pulled the prisoners away from the fire and they made them stand with their backs to the church wall. When they were all lined up, the SS officer started speaking and he spoke to the Americans in English.

"American invaders! I am Obersturmfuhrer Schultz and you are prisoners of the German Reich! You will be treated justly if you obey our commands! If you disobey, if you attempt sabotage, or if you attempt escape, you will be shot!" the SS officer shouted, his accent crisp and clear.

Obersturmfuhrer was a rank like first lieutenant in the US and Confederate Army. Schultz was the commander of this group and it looked like that he made the regular German Army soldiers nervous.

"We will continue our march in three groups!" Schultz shouted. He then shouted "Officers, you will stand here!".

He pointed at a spot and there was murmuring and a shuffling of feet among the Americans. Peter and Elsbeth could see some lieutenants, two captains, and even a major step to the spot where they had been commanded to stand.

"Enlisted men! You will be in two groups!" Schultz shouted at the rest of them. He then shouted "All American soldiers who are Jews, step forward!".

No one moved.

"Do not be alarmed! It is for your own protection!" Schultz said.

Still, no one moved. Peter and Elsbeth's hearts thumped in their chests because they knew why he was signaling out just the Jewish soldiers.

Lucy stood still and did not step forward and she let Mike lean on her shoulder.

"If you continue to disobey, you will be shot." Schultz said calmly.

"You can't do that! These men are prisoners of war and under the laws of war you cannot simply..." the American major yelled.

One of the other SS men hit the major in the back with the end of his rifle which knocked the major into the snow.

"I repeat! Jewish soldiers step forward!" Schultz snapped.

The SS dog handler made a noise and the German shepherd barked.

One of the American soldiers took a hesitant step forward and he made no eye contact with anyone else as he did. Everyone else tensed.

"Nur eine? _(Only one?)_" Schultz grumbled. He then said "Only one? I think not!".

He then began to walk along the line of Americans and he looked at each of them up and down. He held his Luger pistol in his hand and the SS dog handler followed him. Every few men, Schultz would nod, the dog handler would grunt, and the American would be pulled out of line to stand with the Jewish soldiers.

"But I'm not a Jew!" one of them objected. He was a short Italian-American private by the name of Sebastiano Campisi.

Schultz ignored Private Campisi's objections.

"We need thirty volunteers! If there are no more Jews, others will be chosen." Schultz said.

He continued down the line and he got closer and closer to Lucy who stared down at her feet in the snow. Schultz walked past her and Lucy let out a sigh of relief. But perhaps it was too soon.

He stopped a few feet farther on.

Obersturmfuhrer Schultz turned back and he walked up to Lucy. He bent down and he lifted Lucy's chin with his index finger and looked her in the eyes. Even though she wasn't Jewish, Schultz nodded and Lucy was pulled roughly from the line. Mike held on to her for support.

"Let go!" Schultz commanded. Some of the other Americans grabbed Mike and they held him up as Lucy was pulled forward.

"You should have volunteered." Schultz sneered at Lucy.

He then raised his pistol and Lucy closed her eyes.

A shot then rang out and Lucy opened her eyes and she, Peter, and Elsbeth could see Mike laying on the snow. A red stain spread out from beneath his head like spilled paint and he didn't move.

The others immediately began pushing forward toward the murderer. But the German shepherd barked and one of the German soldiers fired his machine gun into the air.

"Disobedience will be punished! You are responsible for one another's actions. I trust that this lesson has been understood!" Schultz yelled. The lightning bolts on his collar gleamed even in the dim light of the overcast morning.

He then grunted some more commands at his men and the German soldiers began marching the American officers and the enlisted men in a long line back to the road, leaving the town for the long march into Germany.

The SS men stayed with Lucy and the other soldiers who had been pulled out of line.

"You are going to a very special place." Schultz told them. The snow and the stillness of the air made the sound travel so clearly that it was like he was whispering into Peter and Elsbeth's ears.

"Now! Los Geht! _(Let's go!)_" Schultz yelled.

Lucy and the others looked at one another, confused. Even though they probably understood that Schultz wanted them to start marching, they weren't about to make it easy for him to drag them away.

"Go!" Schultz shouted as he started shoving the men forward toward a different road than the rest of the Americans had taken out of town.

They began moving very slowly by dragging their feet. As they moved out, the SS dog handler took up the rear of the line. The German shepherd barked and the men sped up their pace a little bit.

Back on the hill, Elsbeth turned to Peter and she asked "So, are we going to go save her now?".

Peter looked at her and he said "We will wait until they are far enough away from the town before we rescue Lucy.". He then said "But while we wait, we should move away from the hill.".

Elsbeth nodded and she and Peter got up. However as Elsbeth got up, a couple of loose stones fell down the hill and the sounds cut through the morning air as loud as machine-gun fire.

Peter and Elsbeth gasped and they looked back down at the town square and they could see that the SS dog handler and his dog had broken away from the back of the line. They were walking across the square and they were heading straight for the other side of the town... the side where Peter and Elsbeth were hiding.

The dog led his master with his nose in the air and it was sniffing for the scent of the one who had caused the stones to fall down the hill: the girl with whitish blonde hair who was beside Peter.

Peter turned to his granddaughter and he said "Elsbeth, in order for them to not the soldiers, we need to hide!".

Elsbeth nodded and the two of them spotted a barn and they ran to it.

But as they did, Peter and Elsbeth realized too late that the dog handler wouldn't even need to use his German shepherd's keen nose to find them. They were leaving an obvious trail of footprints in the snow and there wasn't time to do anything about it. Peter and Elsbeth couldn't see the SS dog team anymore, but they knew that they would be coming over the top of the hill at any second and they were totally out in the open.

Once they were inside the barn, Elsbeth shut the door and she froze the door so it would be harder to open. She and Peter then ran to a stall that was in the back. There was a light scattering of hay but otherwise the barn was empty and all of the animals were gone. Peter and Elsbeth ducked down and they waited.

A few moments later, the dog handler reached the barn door and he tried to open it, but he couldn't because the door was frozen shut. He rammed into it a couple of times before he finally broke through. Once the door was open, he walked through.

"Hande Hoch! Zeigen Sie sich! _(Hands up! Show yourself!)_" the dog handler commanded.

When Peter and Elsbeth didn't say anything from where they were hiding, he walked closer and the German shepherd snorted loudly. The German shepherd then barked and Peter and Elsbeth held their breath.

"Hande Hoch! _(Hands up!)_" the dog handler repeated slowly and very quietly. Peter and Elsbeth knew that they would have to show themselves but they weren't worried because they could attack him and he wouldn't be able to do anything about it, so they got ready to stand up.

Just as they started to move, Peter and Elsbeth saw a glimmer in the barn stall across from them. It was a golden ring in an ash heap and it took them a moment to realize that it was the little boy who had brought Lucy and the Americans the piece of bread. He slid out of the shadows and he met Peter and Elsbeth's eyes. He put his finger to his lips, urging them to be quiet, and then he stepped into the center of the barn with his hands raised above his hands while he shuffled toward the SS soldier and the German shepherd.

"Nicht schiessen! _(Don't shoot!)_" the boy whimpered.

The dog handler grunted some questions at the boy and the boy answered them in tearful whispers. Then the dog handler yelled and the German shepherd barked again and the boy yelped.

The dog handler scolded the boy and the boy apologized.

Peter and Elsbeth then heard the sound of a pistol clicking. The Nazi dog handler shouted, but a loud whistle cut through the air. Obersturmfuhrer Schultz was calling his dog handler back because the other SS men didn't want to stand around waiting for the dog handler and the German shepherd anymore. The dog handler exhaled loudly and he shouted something in return.

Peter and Elsbeth pictured Schultz checking his watch and tapping his foot impatiently on the ground like a coach would do when his team would be late.

Then, they heard the clomp of heavy boots and the creak of the barn door. The dog's paws crunched the snow as he followed his master down to the village.

"Americans?" the little boy asked. He startled Peter and Elsbeth.

He stood at the end of the barn stall while looking at Peter and Elsbeth with curiosity and his voice was stronger and clearer than they had expected and he stood taller then he had seemed with the Germans around. Both Peter and Elsbeth thought that he was around 11 or 12 years old.

Peter knew that he wasn't going to know about The Confederacy because it wouldn't exist for another 50 years. So he nodded and he and Elsbeth stood up.

The boy shrugged and he looked at Peter.

"Hugo." the boy said which Peter and Elsbeth figured was his name. When he said his name, Hugo saluted them.

"I'm Peter." Peter said as he saluted Hugo. He then pointed at Elsbeth and he said "And that's my granddaughter Elsbeth.".

Elsbeth smiled and she waved.

Peter and Hugo stood staring at each other for a while and then Peter got an idea. He reached into his haversack for a second and he found a foil-wrapped chocolate bar and he pulled it out and tossed it to Hugo.

Hugo smiled as he unwrapped it.

He bit into it with a satisfying snap as the cold chocolate broke into his mouth. He took two bites and then he offered it to Peter and Elsbeth. They refused and Hugo wrapped it up and put it in his pocket.

"You wait. Here. No problem. You wait." Hugo said to them.

He ran out of the barn , leaving Peter and Elsbeth alone again. Elsbeth looked up at Peter with her eyebrows raised.

"I'm not sure what he was talking about either." Peter said.

* * *

A few minutes later, the barn door creaked open again and Peter and Elsbeth ducked behind the stall.

"Guys?" Hugo called out.

They stepped out into the open and they saw that Hugo had returned, but he wasn't alone. A thin man with a shaved head and a scraggly blond beard was with him. His eyes were blue just like Hugo and Elsbeth's.

"My papa." Hugo said as the man stepped forward.

He shook Peter's hand and he said "Michel.".

He slung a canvas bag off his shoulder and he said "I have brought food for you. It is not much, but you must eat. And drink.".

He pulled out a canteen and he handed it to Elsbeth. She drank some water and then she handed the canteen to Peter. He drank some water as Michel pulled out bread and sausages. Only after he had his fill in water did he notice the marking on the side of the canteen: the swastika, symbol of the Nazis.

"The spoils of war, yes? Taken from the Germans." Michel explained.

He reached back into the bag and he pulled out 2 heavy gray Nazi SS officer's coats and he handed them to Peter and Elsbeth.

"You will move better in this. If you are seen, it is less likely that you will be stopped." Michel said.

"You've done this before, huh?" Elsbeth asked.

Michel smiled and he said "The Resistance. We have helped many Americans to escape. We will help you.".

"Me and Elsbeth are not Americans." Peter said. He then said "We come from 110 years into the future and we're the rulers of a future nation that's called The Confederacy.". And then he said "And we're not trying to escape. We're trying to help my granddaughter and the soldiers who were taken prisoner.".

Michel ran his fingers through his beard and he said "The prisoners... this is not easy. They have been separated.".

"We need to help the smaller group." Elsbeth told him.

"The officers?" Michel asked.

"No, the other group." Elsbeth said.

"The Jews?" Michel asked. He then sighed and he said "The Undesirables as they call them.". He then said "The Nazis believe that they are the master race. They believe that anyone who is not like them is inferior, undesirable. So they take the Jews they capture, and anyone who they think looks like a Jew, and they send them to work camps in Germany. Very bad places. May die there. Belgian, German, Polish... even British and American. They are called work camps, but they are truly camps for dying. They are death camps.".

"We can't let them take my granddaughter there." Peter said.

"The SS will take their prisoners to the train depot. A train will take them into Germany to the camps." Michel said.

"Then we have to get to them before they reach the train depot." Peter said.

"The march will take them some days. All their fuel and equipment goes in the other direction, on the attack." Michel said.

"Yeah. We know about the attack." Elsbeth said.

"The Americans have been pushed back, no? You think the Germans will prevail?" Michel asked

Knowing what will happen at the end of The Battle of The Bulge and what would happen on May 8th 1945, Peter said "Not a chance.".

"The SS will not allow their prisoners to escape so easily. You will need help." Michel said.

"From you?" Elsbeth asked.

"I am needed elsewhere." Michel said. He thought for a moment and then he said "Hugo can take you to find some Americans. We know where they are.".

"Hugo?" Peter asked. He looked at him and then he said "He's too young.".

"As you are old, my friend. But we all do our part to fight the Nazis. And Hugo knows the countryside well." Michel said.

"But the Germans are getting away. If me and Elsbeth detour for help, we'll lose their trail!" Peter said.

"Following my son, you will not lose much time. And your granddaughter can help you as well." Michel said.

Peter nodded and he finished talking with Michel.

He and Elsbeth then ate some of the bread and sausage that Michel had brought them and they put the SS coats right over their Royal Gray Confederate Uniforms.

Hugo wore only thin pants and a light coat and he covered his head with a green wool cap which hid his brilliant blond hair beneath it.

While Peter helped Elsbeth button up her gray SS coat, Michel knelt down and whispered something to his son in French. Hugo nodded and he wiped a tear from his father's cheek and Michel hugged him close, pressing his face into his chest.

Peter looked at Elsbeth and he said "It's time to go Elsbeth.".

She nodded.

Michel peeked out of the barn and he whistled a short tune and a moment later, they heard a short tune whistled back from down in the village. He turned back and he waved Peter and Elsbeth outside. Hugo went first.

As Peter passed by, Michel patted him on the shoulder and he said "Good luck to you and your future countrymen.".

"And you and yours." Peter said.

Hugo had ran out in front and he beckoned patiently for him to follow.

"With Hugo on our side, we cannot fail." Michel said as he smiled.

Elsbeth followed Peter and the two of them looked down at the burned and ruined village , the bonfire of old furniture in the town square, and the patch of Mike's blood in the snow. The villagers must have taken the body to bury it.

Peter and Elsbeth said goodbye to Michel and the two of them caught up with Hugo and they made their way through the village to the road.

They didn't stay long on the road. They turned off to the side and they went through a thick hedge and scurried from one overgrown patch of brush to the other.

They crossed a field where no one had plowed and a small village where no one lived. The raised hedges alongside the fields had been crushed and fresh tank trends marred the snow and there were even boot prints frozen in place, like they've been sculpted in glass. They moved carefully through the hole in the hedgerow left by the tank.

On the other side, a gruesome scene stretched out before them. From the forest on one side to a hedge on the other, the field was covered in mounds of fresh snow in the length and shape of men. Peter and Elsbeth knew too well what lay beneath. It was like a field of snowmen had been knocked over by a fearsome wind. They moved quickly through the field while watching their steps.

At dusk, the cloudy sky dimmed and turned a pinkish gray. They stopped to rest for a moment and Hugo immediately took to talking with Elsbeth.

Peter watched Hugo as he talked to Elsbeth and he asked "How old are you?".

Hugo looked up at him and he smiled.

"Hugo." Hugo said and he turned back to Elsbeth and he continued talking to her.

Peter guessed that his English wasn't so good and he had to wonder about him. He was at least a few years younger than Elsbeth and if they were in the United States, he'd probably be on Christmas break from sixth grade right then. Instead, he was leading Peter and Elsbeth to find the American front lines so they could get help to rescue Lucy and the prisoners from the Nazis while his father went to fight other Nazis.

When Hugo saw Peter staring at him, he smiled and stood up.

"We go." Hugo said with a nod.

They were off again and they were moving quickly through the dark forest.

It didn't take long before they reached a frozen field. On the other side of it they could see a road where a river of men flowed. They moved quickly while coughing and spitting and they didn't speak. Among them was a jeep that grounded it's gears while trying to creak along the line. The Germans didn't have jeeps like that.

The Americans did.

At first, Peter and Elsbeth thought that they were marching into battle, taking the fight back to the Germans.

But then they saw the wounded and they realized that the Americans were in retreat.

"Come on." Peter said as he rose from their position. But Hugo put his hand on Peter's elbow to get his attention.

Peter looked down at Hugo as he saluted him somberly. He'd taken him and Elsbeth where they needed to go and now he had a Resistance to get back to.

Peter saluted him back and Hugo nodded before turning around and disappearing into the night as fast as his little legs could carry him.

Peter turned to Elsbeth and he said "Let's go.".

Elsbeth nodded and they rose from their position. They ran across the field and Peter waved his hands.

Knowing that the Americans wouldn't know about The Confederacy, Peter decided to act like he was American. So as he ran, he waved his hands in the air and he called out "Hey! American! USA! USA!".

But as he ran across the field, he heard the buzz of a bullet zip past his ear and the snap of rifle shots. Peter and Elsbeth stopped running and they realized something.

They were wearing Nazi officer coats.

The American army fired on them.


	11. The Forest

**Chapter 11: The Forest**

"American! American!" Peter shouted.

He raised his hands into the air and he and Elsbeth moved slowly forward. They got close enough that he wouldn't have to shout.

When they reached the side of the road, Peter and Elsbeth found themselves staring down the barrels of a half dozen M1 carbine rifles.

"Where you from?" one of the soldiers demanded.

"Richmond, Virginia." Peter said.

"They ain't dressed like Americans." someone said.

"Germans got spies all over. Shoot them." the first soldier said.

"We can't just go shooting them. We're not Krauts. We don't shoot prisoners." another soldier said.

"There's new orders to shoot all SS prisoners on sight." someone else said.

"Their not prisoners." the second soldier said.

"They might be Americans." the third soldier said.

"We are!" Peter said. He was about to open his SS coat but then he realized that he didn't have on an American uniform underneath. but instead he was wearing his Royal Gray Confederate Uniform.

"Who won the 1944 World Series?" one of the soldiers snapped at him.

"What?" Peter asked. He wondered why he was asking him about the World Series.

"He don't know. Their German spies. Shoot them and let's just keep moving." one of the other soldiers said.

"The St. Louis Cardinals!" Elsbeth answered loudly.

The soldiers turned to Elsbeth and one of them asked "Who lost?".

"The St. Louis Browns!" Elsbeth answered.

"Not even I knew that." one of the soldiers said.

"Maybe she's a spy that studied the right answers." another soldier said.

Suddenly, a flashlight flicked on.

"Turn that off!" someone farther along the road yelled.

"Light discipline! Full dark!" another soldier yelled.

The light went off.

"We gotta get out of here." a soldier said while he shoved the clump of men forward. The river of retreating men flowed around the group that had stopped to talk to Peter and Elsbeth.

One of the soldiers pointed at Peter and he said "He doesn't look German.". He then pointed at Elsbeth and he said "But she does.".

"You say you from Richmond?" another soldier asked.

"Yes." Peter said.

He worried how much time that he and Elsbeth were wasting standing there. Every minute that passed was another minute where Lucy and the rest of the prisoners got closer to the train and closer to the work camp.

The soldiers turned to Elsbeth and one of them asked "You, what, German or something?".

"I'm American." Elsbeth said.

"You know what I mean." the soldier said.

"My grandfather on my mother's side was born in Germany, yeah." Elsbeth said. She then said "But my father was born in America, my mother was born in Russia, my grandmother on my father's side was born in Japan, and my grandfather on my father's side was born in America.".

"Speak German." the soldier said.

"What?" Elsbeth asked.

"Prove it!" the soldier demanded.

"Hallo. _(Hello.)_" Elsbeth said, feeling tongue-tied. She then said "Ich bin Elsbeth Imanov Albany aus den Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika. _(I am Elsbeth Imanov Albany from the United States of America.)_".

"Was that German?" one of the soldiers asked.

"Sounds like it to me." another soldier said.

"She could have just made that stuff up." a third soldier said.

"Hey Lou!" one of the soldiers called. He then said "Get Lou. We got a girl saying that she's German.".

"What is it?" a new soldier asked.

When the soldier showed himself, Peter's eyes widened in surprised and he gasped.

Standing before him, was Lou Pickles. Except he was a lot younger.

"The girl says she's German, but we don't speak German." the soldiers explained.

"Ask her something in German." the soldiers urged Lou.

"Wer gewinnt die World Series 1944? _(Who won the World Series in_ 1944?)" Lou asked.

"The St. Louis Cardinals." Elsbeth told him, frustrated.

"Und was tun sie? _(And what are you doing?)_" Lou asked._  
_

"The Germans took some soldiers as prisoners and we're trying to help." Elsbeth said.

The men looked at one another and they nodded. They lowered their rifles.

"You can't help them if they already got taken. We just came from the town of Saint. Vith and it's a bloodbath, man. Their shooting everyone and they even took out an entire battalion. Their even shooting prisoners. It's an SS Panzer Brigade with tanks and guns and thousands of men. There's no stopping them." Lou said.

He shook his head and he said "You can't go back that way because we're no match for them. We've got to retreat.".

"We can't just let them take our soldiers." Peter said.

"We got orders to retreat." Lou said.

"What are two soldiers going to do anyway? Take out a Kraut SS division all by themselves?" one of the soldiers asked.

"Maybe their no soldiers. Maybe their OSS." another soldier suggested.

"You OSS you two? Some sort of superspy?" Lou asked.

"We're just 2 rulers who are trying to do the right thing!" Peter said.

The soldiers immediately looked at Peter and Elsbeth in confusion and Lou asked "What did you just say?".

Peter realized what he had just said. So he sighed and he told them everything. How he and Elsbeth were not US soldiers and that they were from 110 years into the future. He said how they were the king and princess of the future nation of The Confederacy and how it would come into existence in 50 years. He also told Lou that he would become the father of Stu Pickles and the grandfather of Tommy Pickles.

The soldiers were amazed at what he said and they whistled.

In the distance, artillery rumbled. Somewhere, the Germans were on the attack.

"They'll kill us all!" a soldier said as he shoved past Lou.

"Stay or go. Your funeral." another soldier said.

With a nod, he and the clump of men around him rejoined the flow of retreating soldiers, a river of the frightened and wounded.

Lou stayed still and he looked Peter and Elsbeth over.

"Your really going to take on a squad of SS by yourself?" Lou asked.

"I'm not by myself." Peter said. He looked at Elsbeth and he said "I got her.".

Lou nodded and he said "Well then, good luck. And I'll see your past self in 50 years from now.". He then vanished back into the row of soldiers.

"Alright." Peter whispered as he watched the shadowy forms of the Americans move on down the road.

As they left, Peter felt embarrassed. This was a great embarrassment for the United States of America. To be so broken by the Germans and sent into a retreat.

"Come on Elsbeth." Peter said as he turned back across the field the way that they had come.

Taking one last look at where the Americans had went, Elsbeth turned around and she went with Peter.

* * *

Peter and Elsbeth had no help. The Americans were in retreat and Hugo had left probably thinking that they'd be safe with the Americans.

It was now dark as Peter and Elsbeth made their way back across the field. Up ahead, they saw the path of wreckage that was left behind by the tank and they knew what they would find on the other side. So Peter decided that they wouldn't go that way.

He looked at the forest and he figured out that he and Elsbeth should go that way.

So they ran into the forest.

* * *

The forest was extremely dark, but Peter and Elsbeth ran through it anyway.

Eventually, they came across a mound and they that it was the wreck of a German motorcycle. It was tilted on it's side and it's sidecar was partially dug into the ground where it had crashed.

Whoever had crashed the motorcycle in the forest was long gone by now. Peter wondered how long it had been wrecked there and he brushed some of the snow away with his hand. There were flecks of rust on the spokes of it's wheels and some of the paint was chipped, but the blue-and-white logo of the manufacturer was still crisp and clear, as was the Nazi swastika that was painted on the side.

Elsbeth looked at Peter and she said "Grandfather, I think that we should stop here for the night.".

"Are you sure?" Peter asked.

"Yes." Elsbeth said.

Peter thought about it and then he said "All right. We'll rest here for the night. In the morning, we'll move on.".

Elsbeth nodded and she shot a blast of white mist into the ground next to the motorcycle. When the mist settled, an igloo formed.

"Nice job Elsbeth." Peter said.

"Thanks." Elsbeth said.

So the two of them headed inside and they settled down for the night. After getting settled down, they fell asleep.

* * *

At dawn, Peter opened his eyes and he could see that it was morning.

He then looked at where Elsbeth was and he could see that she was sleeping peacefully.

He then got up and he shook her gently.

"Elsbeth, wake up." Peter said softly.

Elsbeth opened her eyes and she got up.

"Good morning." Elsbeth said.

"Good morning." Peter said. He then asked "Do you want breakfast?".

"Sure." Elsbeth said.

Peter opened the canvas bag and he unwrapped one of the sausages. It was frozen solid, so it was easy to snap in half. They ate their halves and Peter walked outside. Elsbeth followed him.

When they were outside, Peter turned around and bent down so he could get his haversack which was on the ground.

Elsbeth watched him and she looked up. But when she did, she gasped.

"What is it?" Peter asked.

She didn't answer. Instead, she sprang into the air and Peter saw why she did that.

There was a soldier who was sneaking up behind him.


	12. The Showdown

**Chapter 12: The Showdown**

"Aiee!" the man yelled as Elsbeth sprang through the air and tackled him. When he was on the ground, Elsbeth formed an icicle and she held it against his neck.

Peter took out his pistols and he aimed them at the soldier. He had on camouflage but no helmet, and Peter didn't see any markings on his uniform. He wasn't with the German Army and he wasn't American.

He also wasn't alone.

Another soldier came running through the trees and Peter raised his pistols. He was about to fire when Hugo came running through the snow.

"Non! Non! _(No! No!)_" Hugo yelled._  
_

His father ran behind him with a rifle in his hands. Four other man shuffled behind them and they were all dressed and armed for war. They were Resistance fighters.

Peter lowered the pistols.

Elsbeth looked at the group and then at the man. She removed the icicle and she climbed off the man and walked back to Peter. The man rubbed his neck.

"How did you find us?" Peter asked Michel.

"Hugo came back, told us that the Americans wouldn't help you." Michel said.

Hugo smiled, knowing that his father was proud of him and was sharing that pride with the Confederate stranger. Peter nodded his thanks to Hugo and he saluted.

"And I thought that no one should be without help on a dangerous mission. But I can see that your not entirely without help." Michel said.

Elsbeth looked around at everything and she looked over and smiled.

"Elsbeth is helping me find the prisoners." Peter said.

"Very good. We will come with you." Michel said.

Elsbeth walked over and she said "I want to ask you something.". She leaned in to whisper to Michel and she asked "About Hugo? Doesn't he have anyone he could stay with?".

Michel nodded and he said "His grandparents are not so far from here, and when peace comes, we will live with them together. But now, he wishes to fight the Nazis. I could not stop him if I wanted to.".

"But this will be dangerous." Elsbeth said.

"To live in these times is dangerous. To live only for yourself is dangerous. Hugo understands this as I believe you understand this too." Michel said.

He patted Elsbeth on the shoulder and at that moment, he made her think of George and how much she wished to return to him.

"Let's go!" Peter said.

The Resistance fighters nodded and they started running. The physical activity burned their lungs but it kept them from freezing and by afternoon the snow stopped and the sky started to clear. As they left the forest for the open countryside, they stopped to rest and they gathered around and enjoyed the feeling of the sun on their faces. They ate bread and caught their breaths. The man Elsbeth had tackled rubbed his neck and he kept his distance from her. The others talked to one another in low voices and scanned the surrounding fields for signs of danger.

Peter looked at Elsbeth who was talking to Hugo. She looked at Peter and she waved and then continued talking to Hugo.

A few seconds later, everyone heard the high pitched whine of an airplane engine. First one, then another, and then more.

Peter searched the sky and he saw the shimmering of sunlight off of metal as a squadron of American fighter planes zoomed over the countryside. They could see them over the forest and they watched them dive as they fired off their heavy guns at some unseen German position below.

The Resistance fighters cheered at the sound of the guns. Hugo grinned and he pointed while he made airplane noises. He jumped up and down with excitement and Peter and Elsbeth couldn't help but smile as well.

"The weather had turned against the Nazis. With American planes in the sky, Hitler's attack cannot succeed." Michel said.

They stood for a moment, taking in the sight of the planes overhead with their trails of exhaust drawing squiggles and zigzags of white cloud against the sky. The whine of the engines, circling and swinging down over the forest, was like music to their ears.

Miles away, they saw large cargo planes dropping supplies with parachutes onto American positions. They could also see high flying bombers pounding German positions.

The planes were far away, supporting the Americans on the front lines and it was the first time that Peter and Elsbeth could see how far they had come into German controlled territory ever since they had appeared in that time. The Germans had pushed the American Army back several miles while Peter and Elsbeth had run miles in the opposite direction.

Peter and Elsbeth realized that when they did find Lucy, when they could liberate her from the SS, they would still have to get to friendly territory somehow without running into the German Army or getting recaptured.

When they were done resting, everyone continued running. They ran, cutting through the forest.

When they got to the edge of the forest, Michel came up beside Peter and he said "Look.".

Peter didn't know why at first, but Michel pointed down a hill to the stretch of train tracks beyond it and not far away from it was the train depot. It was one low building with a guard tower and a ring of barbed wire around it.

A train sat in the station, rumbling, and beside it stood a couple of German soldiers who were stomping their feet to keep warm. Just beyond them, Peter and Elsbeth saw the Americans who looking pale and weary. Their faces were muddy, their clothes were in tatters, and their feet were bare. Peter and Elsbeth couldn't see all of them and they searched the row of faces for Lucy.

They couldn't find her.

But they did see the SS dog handler and the German shepherd.

Peter and Elsbeth pulled back to the cover of the trees. They knew that they needed time to make a plan to figure out how they would free the prisoners because they were under heavy guard.

From where Peter and Elsbeth crouched, they could hear a train door open and they watched as they loaded the Americans inside, one by one. As they went, the healthy soldiers helped the wounded ones up, passing them to the men who were already inside the train car.

That's when Peter and Elsbeth saw Lucy limp forward. Lucy grimaced with pain as she was lifted onto the train. Her left foot was swollen and black and Peter and Elsbeth knew that she needed a doctor, but they doubted that the Nazis would give her one.

Elsbeth turned to Peter and she said"Grandfather, I thought you said that we couldn't get hurt.".

Peter turned to Elsbeth and he said "No, I said that we can't die. You can feel pain and get sick, but you can't get killed.".

Elsbeth nodded and they turned their attention back to the train.

They saw Obersturmfuhrer Schultz shouting orders and two SS men slammed the door shut and locked it. The Americans inside yelled and groaned because they were packed too tightly in the dark train car that had originally been built for transporting cattle, not men. The men of the SS shouted at them and then they climbed aboard a different train car, one that had been made for passengers. The dog handler did a walk around the whole train while the German shepherd sniffed at everything and then he climbed aboard the train.

Peter and Elsbeth turned to Michel, who crouched beside Peter with Hugo at his shoulder. The both of them were eyeing the train depot.

"They will not move the train while the American planes are in the sky. We still have time." Michel explained.

Hugo looked at Peter, his cheeks and nose bright red from the cold, and he asked "We will stop the train?".

Peter nodded and he said "We will stop the train.".

He even had an idea of how they could do it, but they would need to move quickly.

"First, do any of you know how to fix a broken motorcycle?" Peter asked.

* * *

All but four of the German Army soldiers were aboard the train. One remained up in the guard tower, watching over the tracks and the train depot with a large machine gun. The other three soldiers stood around with their rifles on their shoulders. They were waiting for the train to pull out and for peace to return to the quiet country train station.

The four guards were not the fearsome men of the SS. They were regular German Army soldiers.

Peter gazed through a pair of binoculars that he had gotten from his haversack.

As he looked closer at the soldiers standing on the platform, Peter could get a better look at them. Two of them were old men, gray haired and stoop shouldered. The other one was a boy around Hugo and Elsbeth's age. His pants were too big and his coat hung off him almost to the ground. He couldn't tell about the soldier in the guard tower, but he could guess. All the healthy young men were off at the front lines fighting the war. These German soldiers looked anxious, waiting for the train to leave and Peter wondered if the SS frightened them.

In the distance, Peter and Elsbeth heard the whine of the airplane engines, but they couldn't see them in the sky anymore. The German soldiers looked up too. The engine sounds faded and Peter and Elsbeth knew that the bombing runs were over and the planes were on their way back to England to refuel and reload. The train engine hissed and chugged and, with a loud screech, the train pulled inch by inch out of the train station.

Peter held his breath and Elsbeth was beside him. Even though it was freezing out, she wasn't cold because her ice powers made her immune to the cold.

Peter gripped the handlebars of the motorcycles tight in his hands and he kicked the engine to life.

When it revved and roared, Peter and Elsbeth let out their breaths. At least it worked. In the sidecar of the motorcycle, Elsbeth let out a low laugh and Peter shifted the motorcycle into gear.

They shot from the forest with a roar and they zoomed down a small slope. Peter glanced at the German soldiers as he and Elsbeth raced along the tracks and past the train station. Elsbeth looked up and she gave them a little wave. The German soldiers looked at Elsbeth and they returned her wave as she and Peter zoomed by. As far as they knew, Peter and Elsbeth were German officers who were racing to catch up to the train that they had just missed.

So far, things were going smoothly. Now they just had to catch the train.

Peter squeezed the throttle and sped the motorcycle, which caused Elsbeth to bounce up and down on the icy terrain that was by the side of the railroad track. Since the snow had stopped falling and the air was still freezing cold, they were driving on packed and slippery ice. They could feel the wheels skidding and sliding beneath them and Peter did his best to keep from crashing into the tracks or flopping over sideways.

Peter drove as fast as he could and he and Elsbeth followed a bend in the tracks that cut through more forest which took them out of sight of the train station and the watchtower. Up ahead, Peter and Elsbeth saw the back of the train chugging along. Peter lowered his head so that the wind wouldn't blow so strongly into his eyes and so any of the SS soldiers who were guarding the back of the train would be able to get a good look at him. Peter was tall enough to be a Nazi and he his skin was white enough, but his hair and eye color was the wrong color. Elsbeth would be fine though because of her hair and eye color. As long as they moved fast, Peter hoped that he and Elsbeth could slip past the SS and buy enough time to spring their trap.

Peter steered a little bit wide of the tracks. Trees whipped beside him, and he had to duck to avoid getting hit by the branches. He jerked the bike away from the woods and heard the sickening scrape of metal on metal. Sparks flew.

Elsbeth flinched to the side because Peter had gotten too close to the tracks on her side.

Peter leaned forward, squeezing the throttle harder. It pinched his fingers, but they were gaining on the train. He saw the face of one of the SS man appear at the railing of the caboose, all the way at the back. He wore his long gray coat open and it flapped in the breeze. He held a submachine gun in his hands and he watched Peter and Elsbeth as they approached, his finger on the trigger.

Elsbeth waved at the SS man and he returned her wave as Peter accelerated. They could feel the officers eyes watching as they drove by the caboose.

Peter knew that they had to get to the front of the train quickly before the SS man wondered why he wasn't wearing a helmet or goggles like any normal motorcycle driver would.

"Here we go." Peter told Elsbeth.

* * *

Peter and Elsbeth glanced at the cattle cars as they sped by.

They passed several freight cars and a large flatbed car with an antiaircraft gun on it and a few cattle cars, one of them holding the American prisoners who were on their way to a death camp.

As they approached the engine at the front, Peter and Elsbeth saw another SS man step out to the metal railing on the side. He did not look too happy to step out into the cold wind.

His machine gun rested on his shoulder and his head was turned slightly to the side. Peter waved his arm, trying to signal him to slow down the train. The SS man shouted something, but they couldn't hear it over the roar of the train and the rumble of the motorcycle.

He shouted again and waved them closer. Peter sped up and eased himself as close as he dared to the side of the engine. Elsbeth kept her eyes up on the officer. They knew that the SS man was only letting them so near was because he thought that they were on his side. If he got a good look at Peter, his and Elsbeth's disguises would fall apart. But still, he waved them closer.

The motorcycle bounced along next to the train. It was so close that the SS man could have easily bent down and ruffled Elsbeth's hair.

"Was ist los? _(What is it?)_" the SS man asked. Peter kept his eyes focused forward because he had to keep the motorcycle from crashing. He didn't answer. The SS man shouted again, but Peter had to weave away from the train to dodge a tree branch and he didn't hear him.

Peter guessed that the SS man got the view he needed of him because when he came back in close once more, the SS man raised his machine gun at him. He saw his mouth move in a shout, but his words were sucked away by the wind.

The train track was slightly higher than the ground next to it and the wheels were slipping down the icy slope. Peter and Elsbeth were below the train with the SS officer looking down at them. He shouted again, and this time, he fired his gun. Peter heard a bullet whizz over his head.

Peter and Elsbeth's plan wasn't going at all like they had planned.

But if the train got away, Lucy and all those prisoners would be lost. Peter had to stop the train and he had to stop it now.

He steered the motorcycle alongside the train, going slower and then faster and then slower again so that the SS man couldn't aim at him or Elsbeth easily. Peter knew that he would have only one chance at this. Using all of the power he could get from the motorcycle's engine and leaning hard toward the side, they skittered up the slop until they were right next to the train and right below the barrel of the Nazi's gun.

"Nicht schiessen! _(Don't shoot!)_" Peter yelled up at him. The SS man hesitated because he understood.

But so did Elsbeth, and she knew that Peter was in trouble.

With a shout, Elsbeth took a flying leap from the sidecar of the motorcycle, up over the railing of the train.

As she jumped, she swung her hand and a blast of white mist sailed straight toward the SS man's heart.

The SS man gasped as the ice settled on his heart and he put a hand over his heart. But then he screamed as Elsbeth landed on top of him. The gun clattered away and Elsbeth shot two white blasts of mist at the SS man's arms. When the mist faded, restrainers made out of ice were locked around his arms. Sparks flew from the train tracks beside Peter as the train driver pulled the brakes.

Although Peter couldn't hear the SS man above the screeching brakes, he could see him struggling and withering to escape Elsbeth's grasp.

He knew darn well that he couldn't.

Peter had to pull away as the train slowed. The motorcycle slid down the small slope, but Peter stayed parallel to the train.

It took a long time for the train to come to a full stop and once it did, Peter could hear shouts from a cattle car in the center and the yelling and grunting of the officer struggling beneath Elsbeth.

Peter climbed off the motorcycle and he took out his pistols. He then ran up to the engine car and hauled himself over the railing. Elsbeth didn't even look up at him because she was so focused on her attack. Peter knew that he could call her off of the SS man but he also knew that Elsbeth would do what she wanted. And as Peter got near Elsbeth and the SS man, he could see that the SS man's hair was turning white, which was a sign that said that the SS man was freezing permanently because his heart had been frozen.

Peter looked to the forest behind the train and he didn't see Michel, Hugo, or any of the Resistance fighters. They had left before the train started moving and Hugo had led them to a shortcut, but still, we had gone farther than he'd planned and it would take them some time to catch up. He didn't know how long it would be before the other SS soldiers came forward to find out what was going on and discovered him and Elsbeth.

"Hilfe! Hilf mir! _(Help! Help me!)_" the SS man on his back yelled, struggling to get Elsbeth to release him.

Peter didn't need to speak German to know that he was scereaming for help and that he wanted him to call Elsbeth off. He wanted to be released and Peter almost felt bad for the guy until he realized that he was taking his granddaughter to a death camp.

Peter turned away from him and he tried to open the door to the engine so he could demand that the driver tell him which car held the Americans, but the driver had locked the door.

Peter pounded on it, but the train driver didn't open it. Listening to the sounds of the SS officer's screams, he couldn't blame him. He wouldn't have opened the door either.

Peter jumped down from the engine and ran along the stopped train.

"Americans? Where are the Americans?" Peter shouted as he ran and pounded on the outside of the cattle cars.

"Here! We're in here!" someone shouted in English from the fourth car.

"Hold on, guys!" Peter yelled back. He then said "King Peter Albany of the future nation of The Confederacy is here to get you out of there!".

A cheer went up inside the cattle car and Peter smiled. His smile vanished as he heard the shrill voice behind him shout "Hande hoch! _(Hands up!)_".

Peter glanced over his shoulder and he could see that the whole group of SS men, including Obersturmfuhrer Schultz, had disembarked from the passenger car near the caboose. There were five of them in all who were pointing their guns at him.

Five more that he hadn't seen at all during his recon appeared from a car near the front of the train and they were pointing their guns at him as well.

"Hilfe! Hilfe! _(Help! Help!)_" the SS man by the engine shouted. He was still at the mercy of the whitish blonde princess that had tackled him and froze his heart.

One of the soldiers nearby approached Elsbeth with his gun raised, taking aim at Elsbeth.

"Nein! Halt! _(No! Halt!)_" the SS dog handler shouted at her. He and the German shepherd moved in their direction to take control of Elsbeth and stop her attack.

"Hande hoch! _(Hands up!)_" Schultz commanded him again. He held the same Luger pistol that he used to shoot Mike in the town square in his hand. Peter knew that he could attack Schultz, but he just decided to surrender so he could ambush them. As his hands went up, he smirked a little.

He wondered what the SS was going to do. He wondered if they would try to shoot him or if they would try to load him into the cattle car with the Americans as another prisoner. He wondered what they would try to do to Elsbeth, assuming that she ever let go of that SS soldier. Would they try to shoot her? Would they try to take her into their ranks and use her as a war machine and use her ice powers against the Allies.

"Hilfe! _(Help!)_" the SS man underneath Elsbeth shouted.

The other soldier raised his gun at Elsbeth again.

"Nein! Verstehst du nicht? _(No! Don't you understand?)_" the SS dog handler shouted at her. He then said "Nicht schiessen! _(Don't shoot!)_".

That was his mistake.

In a flash, Elsbeth jumped off her victim and down from the engine and she charged away into the woods. The soldier fired after her, but he missed. The German shepherd barked after Elsbeth, but the SS dog handler held him back and they did not chase her down.

"American?" Schultz asked Peter, with hardly a trace of a German accent.

Peter shook his head.

"You are all alone?" Schultz asked. He laughed and he asked "You think you could stop this train all by yourself?".

"Yes, actually." Peter said.

"You have dressed in a German Army uniform. Under the laws of war, I am permitted to shoot you right now." Schultz said calmly.

"Since when do Nazis care about the laws of war?" Peter snapped at him in his usual military tone.

Schultz poked a finger and he opened Peter's jacket, looking at his Royal Gray Confederate Uniform.

"This uniform is a fake. The people who have worn this kind of uniform have been gone for 80 years." Schultz said as he looked at Peter's real uniform. He then shook his head and he said "But anyway, I have killed may of the people that we have captured. Many more will die before you ever reach the Fatherland. You mongrel races are too weak to fight us. This is why you dress up in fake uniforms. This is why the girl ran off. This is why you fail. Perhaps, if you had brought a real soldier with you, you might have lived. But now...". He shrugged and then raised his pistol level with Peter's head.

And then, they heard Elsbeth shout.

* * *

Peter turned his head and he saw Elsbeth leading the Resistance fighters right to them.

When the SS men turned to look, Peter shoved Schultz to the side and he dropped to the ground and threw himself under the motionless train. Schultz fired a shot into the dirt as Peter scrambled over the tracks and to the other side.

He heard the crack of gunfire as the Resistance and the SS broke out into a firefight.

Peter hoisted himself out from underneath the train car on the opposite side.

"You got to come out on this side!" Peter shouted at the Americans in the cattle car. He then asked "Can you break through this car?".

He saw the wood bulging and heard the crunch of men kicking it and throwing their whole bodies into the wood, but it wouldn't budge. It was built to hold cattle and a few wounded Americans wouldn't be able to break the walls down.

Peter looked down and he saw Elsbeth crawl out from beneath the train and she stood up.

"Good job Elsbeth." Peter said.

She smiled.

Peter looked underneath the train and he could see the boots of the Nazi SS men moving backward and the boots of the Resistance fighters moving forward. They had them on the run.

Peter took out one of his pistols and he pointed it at the big latch of the cattle car.

"Stand back!" Peter yelled. He fired the pistol.

The latch blasted off and he heaved the door open. Inside, men in US Army uniforms huddled together.

A rattle of machine gun fire sent them diving away from the door.

"You must find cover!" Michel yelled at Peter from between two cars. He fired a few blasts from his rifle towards the Nazis by the front of the train, who returned fire just as eagerly. Peter was stuck in the middle with the American prisoners. If they got off the train now, they'd be cut down in the crossfire.

Michel signaled another of his fighters, who was off to the side of the tracks firing from behind a tree. The man opened fire at the Nazis to give the prisoners some time to get to the woods.

"Go now! You must..." Michel said.

Suddenly, he fell forward to his knees from his spot between the train cars. A dot of blood grew on his chest. His mouth opened sightly and a puff of thin gray smoke came out. He fell on his face into the snow by the tracks, dead.

SS Obersturmfuhrer Schultz stepped out from between the cars. He'd snuck around the far side. The fighter by the tree had been flanked and two regular German Army soldiers had him at gunpoint with his hands in the air. Peter recognized them as the kids from the train depot. With a nod from Schultz, the boys shot the Resistance fighter.

Peter looked around frantically and he saw the bodies of the other men who had been with Michel and all of them were laying in the snow, dead. All of them but Hugo. Peter didn't see him and he hoped that he had gone and not seen his father killed in battle.

The other SS soldiers moved back down the train and pointed their machine guns into the open train car, where the American prisoners put their hands up. They were helpless inside there because a single machine gun could mow them all down.

Schultz thrust his gun into Peter's face.

"Where did you steal this girl?" Schultz demanded.

"I didn't steal her. She came with me and she wants to be on the winning side." Peter said.

Schultz said something in German to the other SS soldiers, who grumbled and chuckled derisively.

The dog handler called out a command in German and Elsbeth lowered her head.

"Hier! _(Here!)_" the dog handler yelled. He snapped his fingers and he yelled "Komm!_ (Come!)_".

Elsbeth looked at Peter and she whispered "I'm sorry.". She then walked wearily over to the SS dog handler and the German shepherd.

"It's okay Elsbeth. It's okay." Peter whispered.

Elsbeth stood next to the German shepherd, and somehow, she looked tiny.

"If your not from America, then where do you come from?" Schultz asked Peter.

"Richmond." Peter said.

"So, you are American?" Schultz sneered.

"He's a Confederate!" a voice said. Peter looked over his shoulder to the cattle car and he saw Lucy limp out to the front of the group of prisoners. She didn't have her hands raised, but instead her hands were clenched into fists like she was going to punch her way to freedom. She looked down at Peter and smiled sadly.

"Touching." Schultz said. He then said "The "Confederate" and the Jap will die together.".

"We are prisoners of war!" Lucy yelled. She then said "Under the laws of war, you can't simply shoot us and...".

A sound cut her off, a high-pitched wine. The whine grew louder and higher pitched. It came from above and more whines joined it.

The Germans looked up toward the sunset, shielding their eyes. Even Lucy looked up, though all she could see was the roof of the cattle car.

"Achtung! Jabo! _(Listen! Fighter bombers!)_" one of the SS men shouted and pointed at the sky.

The German pointed at a squadron of American Mustang fighter planes who were coming their way at full speed.

The planes were over them in seconds.

A few of the SS soldiers scrambled toward the big antiaircraft guns in the center of the train, but they didn't make it in time. The first line of bullets sliced right through them. The hail of fire that followed sent the cluster of German soldiers in front of Peter sprawling and scattering in every direction.

A bomb struck the caboose and sent dirt, snow, and flames flying into the air, knocking the back of the train sideways off the tracks. The planes swept by overhead and made a wide arc in the sky, coming straight back at them for another attack run, opening up with their big machine guns and slicing the wood of the train cars to pieces. The GI's hit the deck as the top of their cattle car was turned into Swiss cheese.

That's when Peter realized that the pilots didn't know that there were Americans down there. They just thought that they were shooting up a German military train. The Americans were under attack by their own countrymen and the pilots weren't going to stop until the whole train was destroyed.

"Run! To the woods!" Peter yelled.

The Americans started climbing down out of the train car. The SS men were already running away to take cover. A few of them fired their guns back in the Americans direction, but they didn't take the time to aim, so the shots didn't get anywhere near them.

Peter grabbed Lucy to help her down as the other prisoners were jumping from the train and scattering just like the Germans. Everyone ran for the woods.

With bullets and bombs all around them, Peter picked Lucy up and he carried her bridal style as they scurried for the safety of the forest.

He glanced back at the burning train. SS Obersturmfuhrer Schultz was flat on his back. As least the upper half of him was. It was anyone's guess where his legs had gone because he had been blown to bits.

Before they had gotten into the forest, Peter realized that Elsbeth was nowhere to be seen.

He hoped that she had run to safety. What if she had been taken? But Peter knew that he had to stay with Lucy because she couldn't run on her own. He saw how black and bruised her feet had become. Severe frostbite.

"Come on." Peter said as they staggered into the forest together.

* * *

They rested by a thick growth of fir trees. Peter set Lucy down and he caught his breath, glancing back at the black smoke rising from the wreckage of the train and listening to the engine sounds of the American fighter planes fade away as they flew off. Every few seconds, there was a new blast and a pop, like fireworks on the Fourth of July. It was the antiaircraft shells on the train exploding unused in their crates.

The American pilots would go to bed that night with no idea that they'd nearly killed a lot of American GIs. He guessed that they also saved the lives of the American prisoners at the same time.

"Thank you for saving me grandfather." Lucy said.

"Your welcome Lucy." Peter said.

Lucy smiled, but then her smile faded and she gritted her teeth because of the pain she was in. Peter remembered that he had some medical supplies that were in his haversack which he still had underneath his German coat. Lucy shivered, so he took the German coat off and he wrapped it around Lucy's shoulders.

"Take that off me." Lucy said.

"Your freezing." Peter said.

"I'd rather freeze than wear a Nazi coat." Lucy said.

Lucy was being idealistic and Peter thought that she was being pretty foolish. Better to use the coat of the people that wanted to kill you than to get frostbite to spite them. He left it on her and she was too tired to take it off. Next, Peter reached into his haversack and he took out an ampoule of morphine and shot it into Lucy's leg.

"For the pain." Peter told her.

Lucy nodded and she rested her head against the tree, her green eyes going a little glassy as the medicine kicked in.

"So, how did you find me?" Lucy asked.

Peter told her about when he had reunited with Elsbeth and all of their journey to find her. He also told her that she could not die since they were in another time.

They heard the popping of machine gun fire and shouts in German and English coming through the woods.

"We have got to keep moving. We're a long way behind German lines and they could recapture you." Peter said.

Lucy nodded and Peter helped her up. The ground was wet and uneven, and it was hard for Peter to walk carrying most of her weight. Every time Lucy put her bare feet down on the snowy ground, she grunted and winced. They only made it about ten steps before she collapsed and they both tumbled down.

"This isn't going to work. I won't make it. You have to leave me." Lucy said.

"No, I'm not leaving you. I'll go back to get some boots." Peter said.

"Where are you going to find..." Lucy started, but then it dawned on her. Dead men don't need boots. He was going back to the train to take a pair. Lucy sighed and she asked "Some war, huh?".

"Some war." Peter agreed. He then said "Stay here.".

He ran back to the train tracks, weaving between the trees. Machine guns crackled in the distance and they made Peter think of chattering teeth. When Peter reached the edge of the woods, he stopped and ducked behind a tree. He peeked out to make sure it was safe. The train engine bellowed black smoke into the sky. The whole back half was burning with bright orange flames and several of the cars were on their sides in the white snow.

It was a total wreck. There was no way new trains could pass by until the track was cleared. The Germans wouldn't be able to move supplies and weapons around that way for a while, but that also meant that any new prisoners the Germans took would have to go on foots. Of course, after this escape, they might decide that taking prisoners was more trouble than it was worth. The thought made Peter shudder.

He looked over the row of bodies laying in the snow. It was a strange feeling, trying to decide whose boots he should take.

Peter saw one of the SS officers facedown in the snow. His boots were tall and thick and they looked like they were lined with some kind of fur. He was amazed at how good the German Army's equipment was.

He raced out and he threw himself down to his knees beside the dead Nazi. He began to untie his boots. He yanked the first one off and moved on to the second one without pausing to think of what he was doing.

Once he had the second one off, he tied them both together by the laces so he could carry them over his shoulder and he stood to make his way back to Lucy as fast as possible.

That's when he heard the snap behind him.

It took him a second to realize that the snap was a gunshot.

Peter dropped the boots and he looked at where the shot had come from. He saw that the Nazi dog handler who was holding a pistol. He took aim at Peter, the barrel of the pistol smoking . Peter saw his eyes blazing, the glimmer of the SS lightning bolts on his collar, and he fired again. Peter didn't duck, and the bullet went straight toward his chest. But when it did hit his chest, the bullet immediately bounced off his skin, and he didn't even feel a thing.

The SS dog handler tossed his pistol away and he charged at Peter with a knife in his hand.

Peter hopped to his feet and raised his fists, ready to tear him apart. The SS dog handler had shown no mercy to Lucy and he wouldn't get any mercy from him.

This wasn't war.

It was personal.

* * *

The SS dog handler swung his blade at Peter's chest and Peter jumped back out of the way, but the SS dog handler kept on swinging. Peter stepped out of the way of each attack and the SS dog handler fell off balance. Peter rushed forward so that he was too close for the SS dog handler to lunge at with the knife again. Peter slammed into his stomach and knocked his arm aside so that the knife fell into the snow. Then he brought his knee up as hard as he could and the SS dog handler doubled over in pain and Peter delivered a sharp uppercut to his chin. The blow sent him staggering back.

Peter moved in to knock him down with another punch, but the SS dog handler was no fool. He was carrying another knife. The moment Peter stepped toward him, the SS dog handler flung it from his boot.

It zipped through the air just slowly enough for him to see it's point shine, but too fast to dodge it.

The blade went toward his right shoulder. But once it hit his shoulder, the knife bounced off the skin and dug into a tree instead.

Peter looked at where the knife had went and then he turned back to the SS dog handler. He didn't have time to react as the SS dog handler charged and tackled Peter to the ground. He rained punches down on Peter, who couldn't lift his hands to block them.

But then, Elsbeth appeared out from the trees and she knocked the Nazi dog handler off of him.

"Nein! Nein! _(No! No!)_" the SS dog handler shouted, but Elsbeth did not obey him. She started punching him, and the SS dog handler tried to shove her off of him.

He landed a hard punch across Elsbeth's nose that sent her reeling. The snow turned red where she had tumbled, and though she tried to get up again, her legs gave out and she fell. Peter could see half a dozen bruises in her skin.

The dog handler climbed to his feet and reared back his leg to deliver a ferocious kick to Elsbeth's head, a kick that would surely have killed her if they were in the Present.

Peter leaped to his feet and he took his sword out of its scabbard. He screamed, but as he screamed he thrust his arm forward as forcefully as he could and he felt the sword go into the Nazi's back. With all his strength, Peter shoved him to the side and at the same time he twisted the sword. The SS dog handler screamed as he fell and his feet kicked up into the empty air.

He hit the ground and rolled once down the small slope away from the train tracks. The sword in his back stopped him from rolling any farther. His eyes were open, looking up at the sky, and his face had a look of surprise. He died like that, in the snow, surprised.

Peter breathed heavily as he stood over the SS dog handler's body. He took his sword out of the SS dog handler's back and he put it back into its scabbard. He then ran over to Elsbeth and he helped her up.

"Are you okay?" Peter asked.

"Yeah. I'm fine." Elsbeth said.

Peter nodded and he picked up the boos from where they were on the ground, and he and Elsbeth made their way back to Lucy.

* * *

When they got back to Lucy, Hugo was with her. He didn't say anything and Peter and Elsbeth could see the streaks of tears in the dirt on his face. But he was a tough kid and he still had some fight left in him. He offered to guide Peter, Elsbeth, and Lucy to the Americans and they followed him. It took them the better part of two days to make it back to the American lines.

"Where will you go?" Peter asked Hugo.

Hugo didn't understand him.

"Your grandparents?" Peter asked.

He still didn't seem to understand, but he saluted. He then did something that Peter wouldn't have had expected. He turned to Elsbeth and he hugged her. Elsbeth had a look of surprise on her face, but then she smiled and returned his hug. Hugo then scurried away toward his ruined village, where Peter hoped that his grandparents would be waiting for him.

By the time that Peter, Elsbeth, and Lucy united with the American army, the tide of the war had changed. Lou and the GIs that Peter and Elsbeth had seen retreating along the road that one night had regrouped and attacked on the same day that the air force had took to the sky again, the same day that Peter and Elsbeth had led the rescue of the prisoners. They smashed the SS Panzer Brigade to pieces and by Christmas Day, American forces had stopped the German advance, and not long after that, the British and Americans pushed Hitler's army into a full retreat.

Peter, Elsbeth, and Lucy met up with a group of paratroopers that took them to some ruined city behind the front lines, where Lucy got her wounds fixed up and they all got to eat hot food. It was the day after Christmas.

A few days later when they were all rested up, Peter, Elsbeth, and Lucy left the aid station and they walked over to the forest that was near the aid station. Peter took out the time machine and he put in another time, and he, Elsbeth, and Lucy vanished in a flash of white light.


	13. The Discovery

**Chapter 13: The Discovery**

Meanwhile back in the Present, Kimi walked into her room because she was looking for Peter. She spotted the letter and the button and she walked over to them. She picked up the letter and she started to read it. Below is what it said.

_Dear Kimi,_

_In case if you are wondering where I am, Elsbeth and Lucy found my old time machine and were using it to go into different times in history. The button by this letter will allow you to travel to the time in which we are at._

_Sincerely, Peter._

Kimi put down the letter and she took in what she had just learned.

Just then, Eva walked into the room. With her, was Anna, Kuzco, Hades, and Jafar because they were visiting.

"Grandmother, what is it?" Eva asked, noticing the look on Kimi's face.

Kimi handed her the letter and she said "Read this.".

Kuzco took the letter and he read it out loud.

When he was done, Kuzco asked "So, what are you going to do?".

Kimi thought about it and she said "I am going to go and find them.".

"Then let us come with you." Anna said.

Kimi thought about it and she said "Okay.".

She then picked up the button and pressed it. As soon as she did, a red light flashed from the button and Kimi, Eva, Anna, Kuzco, Hades, and Jafar vanished.


	14. Russia 1719

**Chapter 14: Russia 1719**

_"Location: Catherine Palace, Russia, June 20th 1719"_

Peter, Elsbeth, and Lucy found themselves back in the time corridor. When it faded, they found themselves in a lavishly decorated room.

"Where are we?" Lucy asked.

Peter looked at the time machine and then he looked around the room and said "We're in the Catherine Palace, but it's different because there are no electric lights.

After he said that, a couple of guards and a man with dark hair entered the room and they looked at Peter, Elsbeth, and Lucy.

"Who are you?" the dark haired man asked.

"I am King Peter Albany of The Confederacy. And these are my granddaughters, Lucy Watanabe Frost and Elsbeth Imanov Albany. We come from the future".

Elsbeth walked up and she asked "And who are you?".

"Why, don't you know me? I am Pyotr Alexeyevich Romanov." the man said.

"Peter the Great?" Lucy asked.

"Why would anyone call me great?" Peter the Great asked.

"You built ships and expanded the Russian Empire." Elsbeth said.

Peter the Great nodded and he said "Come, you must explain more of this in detail.".

They all left the room and headed down the hall.

* * *

Later, they were sitting in the dining room discussing the future.

When they were done discussing it, Peter the Great said "Maybe you could help me with something. There is a ball coming up and I was wondering if you could host it for me since I have work to do.".

"Host a ball?" Peter asked.

Peter the Great nodded and Peter said "Well, I should have known that you would be busy because you were always hand on with everything.". He thought for a moment and then he said "I will host it.".

* * *

That night, there was a huge ball in the main ballroom. It was different to Peter, Elsbeth, and Lucy because there was nothing from their time there. Elsbeth greeted guests as they came in and Peter the Great told them that she was a distant friend of his.

As the ball went on, Lucy danced with some of the men. Peter and Elsbeth stood by Peter the Great and his wife Catherine, and they watched the party. When she was done dancing, Lucy walked back to them.

"I wish Eva was here." Elsbeth said.

"Who's Eva?" Peter the Great asked.

"My younger sister." Elsbeth said.

Just then, a man with a dagger ran towards Peter the Great.

"Death to the Czar!" the man shouted as he tried to attack him. However before he could get to him, Elsbeth shot out a blast of ice and she knocked the knife out of his hand. Peter ran up to the man and he knocked him to the ground.

"Guards! Arrest this man!" Peter the Great said.

Guards took the rebel away.

"Does this happen often?" Lucy asked.

"It happens a lot. I lost count of how many times I was attacked." Peter the Great said.

Guards ran up to Peter the Great and Catherine and one of the guards said "There are rebels attacking the palace and they are inside. It's not safe here.".

"I know somewhere safe to hide. Follow me." Peter said.

They followed him into the hallway and into one of the bedrooms. Peter opened a secret panel in the wall.

"In here." Peter said.

"How do you know of these places?" Peter the Great asked.

"I've studied maps of this place in my office back in my time." Peter said.

They made their way through the tunnel towards the outside wall of the palace.

Peter pointed to a spot and he said "There is the way out of here. I will take care of the rebels.".

"I am coming with you. There is no way I am just going to stand by and let you have all of the fun." Peter the Great said.

Elsbeth and Lucy escorted Catherine away from the palace while Peter and Peter the Great headed around the side towards the front.

* * *

Some of the rebels caught up with Elsbeth and Lucy as they were running away from the palace.

"Looks like we caught Pyotr's wife." a rebel said.

"Not if we can help it." Elsbeth said. She started to attack the rebels by using her ice powers.

Lucy also attacked the rebels by punching and kicking.

* * *

Peter and Peter the Great had rebels all around them. The rebels soon had them both cornered.

"It's over Czar. Now Russia will be free." a rebel leader said.

"I've heard that before." Peter said.

The rebels trained their rifles on Peter the Great.

However just before they could fire, a blast of fire shot out from behind them and it burned some of the rebels.

The rebels turned and they saw Hades standing there.

"Hi. How ya doing?". Hades asked sarcastically.

He then started to attack the rebels. Peter and Peter the Great joined Hades at his side, fighting the rebels. Soon, Peter had the rebel leader in his hands.

"Surrender now you cowards. I have your leader and it's over!" Peter said.

Some loyal guards came rushing in and the rest of the rebels were rounded up.

Peter turned and he saw that Kimi, Eva, Anna, Kuzco, and Jafar were with Hades. Kimi ran up and she hugged and kissed Peter.

"Peter, who is that?" Peter the Great asked.

Peter and Kimi looked at him and Peter said "This is my wife, Queen Kimi Watanabe Albany.".

Peter the Great nodded and he said "Well, it's nice to meet you Kimi.".

Elsbeth and Lucy joined back up with them and they went back inside.

* * *

The next day, Peter was posing for a painting commissioned by Peter the Great. He was holding his sword out in front of him and he was leaning forward like he was heading to battle. The painting was done after several hours.

"You can move now!" Peter the Great said.

Peter walked over to look at the painting.

"It's beautiful. What will you call it?" Peter asked.

"King Peter the Magnificent." Peter the Great said. He then said "Your descendants will make wise and wonderful rulers of The Confederacy some day.".

Peter nodded and he joined back up with everyone in the main hall.

Peter took out the time machine and he put in another time and he, Kimi, Eva, Elsbeth, Lucy, Anna, Kuzco, Hades, and Jafar vanished in a flash of white light.


	15. The Tunguska Explosion

**Chapter 15: The Tunguska Explosion**

_"Location: Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia, June 30th 1908"_

Everyone found themselves back in the time corridor. When it faded, they found themselves in a forest at night.

"It's very cold here." Jafar said. He then said "It must be Alaska.".

"No. Look at the trees and the sky." Anna said. She pointed at the trees and the sky and she said "This must be Siberia.".

"It is." Peter said as he finished looking at the time machines panel.

A everyone looked around, Eva said "You know, I have never been here before, but mom has told me stories about this place.".

Just then, they saw a bright light in the night sky moving away.

"That must be a comet entering the atmosphere." Kuzco said.

"No. It's the comet in the Tunguska Explosion." Peter said.

Lucy's eyes widened and she said "Oh yeah! Aunt Tamara told me that the night sky lit up like day.".

Just the, the comet changed course and it headed towards them.

"We need to find shelter." Kimi said.

Peter was just about to tell Kimi, Eva, Anna, Kuzco, Hades, and Jafar that they wouldn't be able to die but they ran into the forest before he could tell them. Peter sighed and he, Elsbeth, and Lucy followed them.

They found a cave and they entered it.

Hades went outside and he looked at the object that was approaching them.

"Look! It changed direction again and it's moving away from us!" Hades said.

Elsbeth walked out and she said "That's because some witnesses said that the comet changed direction several times before it exploded.".

Elsbeth and Hades walked back into the cave.

"It's going to kill us!" Anna exclaimed.

"No it won't." Peter said.

Kimi and Anna turned to Peter and Kimi asked "How wouldn't it kill us?".

Peter briefly explained to her the effects of time travel.

"Well, even though we wouldn't be able to die, could we please just go to a different time?" Kimi asked.

Peter nodded and he took out the time machine. He put in another time and everyone vanished just as the comet exploded above them.

* * *

Everyone found themselves back in the time corridor. When it vanished, they found themselves back in Richmond in the Present.

"Well, that was something." Eva said.

"Yeah." Lucy said.

Peter put the time machine back in the metal box and he, Kimi, Eva, Elsbeth, and Lucy said goodbye to Anna, Kuzco, Hades, and Jafar. The four Disney Characters left for their worlds and Peter, Kimi, Eva, Elsbeth, and Lucy walked out of the room.


	16. Peter's Death

**Chapter 16: Peter's Death**

7 years later

* * *

Tommy- 64 years old (Deceased)

Chuckie- 65 years old (Deceased)

Lil- 64 years old (Deceased)

Phil- 64 years old (Deceased)

Angelica- 66 years old (Deceased)

Susie- 66 years old (Deceased)

Dil- 61 years old (Deceased)

Kimi- 63 years old (Deceased)

Peter- 67 years old

Nicole- 66 years old (Deceased)

Harold- 66 years old (Deceased)

Stephen- 65 years old (Deceased)

Wendy- 62 years old (Deceased)

Adam- 43 years old. He now owns Tommy's movie company.

Rachael- 43 years old

Charles- 44 years old. He now owns The Java Lava.

Benjamin- 43 years old. He now owns Deville's Grill and Buffet.

Megan- 44 years old

Camden- 45 years old

Bob- 45 years old

Emily- 43 years old

Abigail- 41 years old

George- 41 years old

Logan- 41 years old

Beth- 66 years old (Deceased)

Jennifer- 42 years old

Gregory- 44 years old

Ashley- 43 years old

Danielle- 42 years old

James- 46 years old

Cody- 46 years old

Felicia- 44 years old

Johnny- 44 years old

Tamara- 40 years old

Miriam- 18 years old

Jacob- 18 years old

Jessica- 19 years old

Chelsea- 18 years old

Phillip- 19 years old

Jonathan- 19 years old

Susan- 19 years old

Alex- 18 years old

Lucy- 16 years old

Eva- 18 years old

Elsbeth- 20 years old

* * *

_"Location: Richmond, Virginia, June 2nd 2065"_

It was nighttime in Richmond and everyone was getting ready to go to sleep.

Abigail and Logan were getting ready to go to bed in their room. They climbed into bed and Logan gently kissed Abigail on the lips. She smiled and turned off the lamp and they laid down and closed their eyes.

However 5 seconds after they closed their eyes, someone knocked on the door.

Abigail and Logan opened their eyes and Logan got up and walked over to the door. He opened the door and he saw Samuel Silver standing. He was the new General-In-Chief after Frollo E. Lee had retired and passed on from old age.

"What is it General Silver?" Logan asked.

"You need to quickly come with me." Samuel said.

"Why?" Logan asked.

"It's the king." Samuel said.

Abigail and Logan's eyes widened and they ran out of the room as fast as they could.

* * *

2 minutes later, Abigail, Logan, George, Tamara, Lucy, Eva, and Elsbeth were in Peter's room. He coughed and he said "I'm dying.".

He then turned to his daughter and he asked "Abigail?".

Abigail took hold of his hand and she asked "Yes dad?".

"I know I've made many mistakes with you over the years..." Peter started.

Abigail sighed quietly and she said "It's okay.".

"But your love for Logan has... taught me so much." Peter continued.

Abigail and Logan smiled at each other.

Peter turned to Logan and he said "Logan... I am proud to call you my son.".

Logan smiled and he said "And I'm proud to call you my Father-In-Law.".

"Now there is a matter of business to take care of." Peter said.

He started coughing and he started to cough even harder and everyone tensed. He recovered and he said "Logan, please come here.".

Abigail stepped back to let her husband past, and Logan stepped forward and kneeled.

"Yes Dad?" Logan asked.

"The Confederacy needs a new ruler. You, Abigail, George, and Tamara are next in line to rule." Peter said.

Logan sighed and he nodded.

"Alright." Logan said.

Peter coughed and gasped for air. He finally got out "I know all of you will do what's right.".

His head then fell back onto the pillow of his bed and he closed his eyes for the final time.

"Grandfather?" Lucy asked, unsure of whether he was dead or not.

"Dad?" Logan asked. He didn't respond and Logan frowned. He then stood up and held Abigail who was sobbing. Everyone cried for a long time.


	17. The Funeral

**Chapter 17: The Funeral**

The funeral was held the next day and everyone in the city of Richmond and all of The Disney Characters went. The town seemed deserted because windows were closed, soldiers took down the flag, and everyone was gathered around the statue of King Peter in the Richmond National Cemetery. The weather fit everyone's moods. Abigail, Logan, George, Tamara, Lucy, Eva, and Elsbeth were at the front, in front of the freshly buried grave. Abigail leaned on Logan, who wrapped his arm around her shoulders and held her, comforting her. Soon all of the town left and all of The Disney Characters left for their worlds and the only ones watching were Abigail, Logan, George, Tamara, Lucy, Eva, and Elsbeth.

After a while, they left for the house. When they got in, Elsbeth went straight for her room.

Eva sighed and she walked up the stairs and turned in the hall. She then walked to Elsbeth's room.

She reached the door after a time, and after hesitating for a moment, she gave a knock.

"Elsbeth? Are you okay?" Eva asked.

There was no response.

Eva's eyes closed and she said "Elsbeth, I'm here for you if you need me.".

There still wasn't an response.

Keeping her eyes closed, Eva exhaled and slowly turned until her back rested against the door. Slowly, she slumped down to the ground, until she was seated against it.

Eva slowly exhaled and then drew her legs up to her, wrapped her arms around them, and put her head down on her knees. She then cried.

* * *

On the other side of the door, Elsbeth stared blankly at the ceiling, her face wrought with agony and sadness.

The entire room was lined with frost and giant snowflakes hovered in the air. The temperature was colder than the cruelest winter in the room at that moment. Only she remained unfrozen, sitting against the door and staring.

Choking too much on growing tears, Elsbeth bowed her head on her knees as she brought her arms around them. As the snow fell around her, she seemed to stand out alone in the whiteness.


	18. The Coronation

**Chapter 18: The Coronation**

_"Location: Richmond, Virginia, July 1st 2065"_

It was one month after Peter's death and everyone in Richmond was getting ready for Abigail, Logan, George, and Tamara's coronation. The Disney Characters and delegates from nations all around the world were arriving for the coronation. Also, The Rugrats's children and their children were coming for the coronation as well.

Now, Abigail was looking herself over at the mirror in her room, getting ready for the last time. Logan walked in and he hugged Abigail from behind.

"Are you okay?" Logan asked.

Abigail turned so she was facing him and she smiled and said "Yeah, I'm fine.".

Logan nodded and he asked "Are you ready?".

"Yes." Abigail said.

Logan then gently took her hand and they walked out of the room.

* * *

The coronation ceremony was underway at 6 P.M. in The Richmond City Chapel. All of the pews were filled with the delegates from the various countries as well as all of The Disney Characters and The Rugrats's children and their children. Up in the rafters, the local chapel choir was singing a hymn to mark the occasion. All eyes were reverently on the front of the chapel, where the bishop was conducting the official rites. Aside from him and a single attendant to hold the various symbols of royalty, there were only six other individuals in the front of the chapel, namely Abigail, Logan, George, Tamara, Lucy, Eva, and Elsbeth.

Lucy, Eva, and Elsbeth stood to the side. As the children of the soon-to-be kings and queens, they were the only other ones allowed up front, since the rite of succession came to them next. Abigail, Logan, George, and Tamara stood in front of the bishop in the center of the chapel, and they looked reserved, calm, and poised.

As the hymn concluded, Abigail, Logan, George, and Tamara bowed slightly before the bishop, allowing him to remove four crowns from the attendant and place them on their heads.

The last rite was stated and the moment came forth, the one last part of the ceremony before Abigail, Logan, George, and Tamara were officially the kings and queens of The Confederacy. The attendant turned to the bishop and presented him with a cushion on which was held four scepters and four globus crucigers. He held them out and presented them to Abigail, Logan, George, and Tamara.

They reached for the items and grasped them. After doing so, they turned and held them up and they looked forward.

The bishop started saying a prayer in Latin behind them and Abigail, Logan, George, and Tamara stared forward as the entire assembly rose in respect. Their faces remained firm and resolute.

When the prayer was finished, Abigail, Logan, George, and Tamara turned around and put the scepters and globus crucigers back. They turned back around and the crowd applauded.


	19. The Coronation Ball

**Chapter 19: The Coronation Ball**

An hour later, the coronation ball was moments from beginning.

Following the official naming of Abigail, Logan, George, and Tamara as the kings and queens of The Confederacy, the chapel gradually dispersed and they made their way to Arendelle because that's where Abigail, Logan, George, and Tamara had decided where they wanted the ball. When everyone got there, they made their way to the castle ballroom where the main celebration was going to be held. The room was abuzz with activity. The party went well as everyone was dancing and talking to one another. Finally, the music stopped as the dancing session was over and Abigail, Logan, George, Tamara, Lucy, Eva, and Elsbeth made their appearance to the crowd.

Samuel Silver announced them and everyone clapped. The music started to play again and everyone went back to dancing and talking. Abigail, Logan, George, and Tamara split up so they could talk to the different delegates, Lucy and Eva left so they could dance, and Elsbeth decided to talk to The Disney Characters and the delegates.

Three hours later, Elsbeth was finishing talking to John Smith and Phillip.

"Elsbeth!" Eva called out.

Elsbeth turned around and she saw Eva standing with a man behind her. The man stepped next to Eva and Eva said "I would like to present Sir Halvard Willows of The United Kingdom.".

Halvard was 19 years old and he was a tall and handsome young man who had red hair and emerald eyes, and he wore a white suit. He was rather handsome, Elsbeth could give him that as he smiled at her kindly.

_"Oh, a friend. At least that's nice." _Elsbeth thought to herself.

"Your highness." Halvard said, bowing respectively.

Elsbeth watched them, wondering why they were chucking together, so happy with what they were going to say.

"We would like your blessing... of... our marriage." Eva and Halvard said at the same time.

Elsbeth's eyes went wide with shock and confusion and she asked "Marriage?".

"Yes!" Eva squeaked, so happy to even say yes was a whole new thing.

"I'm sorry, I-I'm confused." Elsbeth stammered, trying to understand what Eva and Halvard had just said.

"Well, we haven't exactly worked out all of the details yet, we'll need a few days to plan." Eva said. She then turned to Halvard and she asked quickly "Wait! Could we live in Richmond?".

"Richmond?" Elsbeth exclaimed, looking from one to the other desperately as she started to get nervous.

"Of course!" Halvard said to Eva as if he hadn't heard Elsbeth speak.

"Oh! We could invite all of your 4 sisters and 3 brothers!" Eva exclaimed happily.

"No-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no!" Elsbeth stammered quickly, interrupting the happy moment. She then said "Wait! Slow down! No one's getting married.".

"What?" Eva asked, confused as to why Elsbeth would say no to the marriage.

"May I talk to you? Alone?" Elsbeth asked, rubbing her hands together and putting them close towards her chest anxiously.

"No." Eva said as she looped her arm around Halvard's and hugged him as she glared at her sister defiantly. She then said "What you need to say, you can tell us both.".

Elsbeth sighed and she said "Fine. You can't marry a man you just met.".

"You can if it's really true love." Eva said.

"Eva, what do you know about that?" Elsbeth asked in exasperation. She then said "Look Eva, your young. Your 18 years old! I just don't think that your ready for that type of commitment yet, and I think that mom and dad wouldn't either.".

She then started to leave and she said "Now, if you'll excuse me.".

Halvard tried to reach out to her and he said "Your highness, if I may ease your...".

"No you may not, and... I think you should go." Elsbeth interrupted quickly before he could touch her. Halvard shrunk away at her words and she continued walking away from the both of them.

Eva could not believe what she was hearing.

"What did I ever do to you?" Eva cried as people were starting to hear the argument getting louder and louder.

"Enough Eva." Elsbeth growled as she tried to get away, hunching her back as she held her hands to her chest protectively.

"No! Why? What are you so afraid of?" Eva yelled.

"I said ENOUGH!" Elsbeth yelled back as she turned back to her sister and waved her hand. Instantly, a wall of icicles sprang up from the ground in a wide arc around Elsbeth right in front of everyone. Radcliffe, Hans, Kocoum, Quasimodo, Jack Sparrow, Rachel, Chelsea, Jonathan, and the delegate from Italy had to jump back in order to avoid getting impaled by the icicles and everyone was shocked by what happened. Elsbeth froze in place as her anger was now replaced with fear. She was breathing hard as she was afraid that they would turn against her.

"Elsbeth..." Eva murmured, shocked at what her sister had done.

Elsbeth reached for the doorknob and she grabbed it. She then quickly opened the door and ran through it, quickly making her escape from the crowd.


	20. Elsbeth's Flight

**Chapter 20: Elsbeth's Flight**

Elsbeth knew that she couldn't stay there any longer and that she had to run away from there. She was not safe there and she was not safe near Eva anymore.

She rammed through the doors to the courtyard, but when she looked up, she saw people clapping seeing her enter. Elsbeth ran into the crowd and all she could think was to get away so she wouldn't hurt anybody. She pushed through, trying to get away from those she knew would be pursuing her. But suddenly, she found herself being blocked by Jane.

"Elsbeth? Are you alright?" Jane asked, seeing her stricken face as she looked at her friend with concern.

No, she was not, not even in the least. She was having a breakdown in her head, thinking they might kill her for having magic in her veins. She stepped back, but she felt her body bump into a fountain and she instinctively placed her hands out to brace herself. But her bare palms touched the stone, and with a hiss, icicles grew on the fountain and the water froze over. Everybody gasped as they saw Elsbeth freeze the fountain.

"There she is!" Alex yelled. Elsbeth looked to see Alex, Jim Hawkins, and Rourke at the door she had just come through.

"Please! Stay away from me! Just stay away..." Elsbeth cried, begging them.

But then, her magic slipped out from her bare palms again, creating a huge blast that shot towards Alex, Jim Hawkins, and Rourke. They leaped clear and a lot of people fell and slipped from her ice that appeared upon the steps.

Elsbeth quivered as she looked at her hands. She looked at the people as they stood away from her. Elsbeth ran from them, as the people now had no trouble of letting her through.

"Elsbeth!" Tamara cried as she, Abigail, Logan, George, Lucy, and Eva ran out to see her running away, and they quickly ran after her. Elsbeth finally made it out of the courtyard and she ran down the stairs of the walls to the outside but found that she was blocked by the fjord. She was trapped and they were going to kill her.

"Elsbeth!" Eva called out.

Elsbeth turned as she stood back, but she looked down to see a patch of ice and snow at her feet, leading to the edge of the water that had frozen over. She looked back to where she heard her sister's voice, then straight ahead. She looked straight ahead and took in a deep breath as she pushed herself forward and ran across the lake. Instantly, where her foot connected with the water, it froze and created a stable platform for her to run on, making a path of solid ice. Abigail, Logan, George, Tamara, Lucy, and Eva reached the fjord and tried to go after Elsbeth but it was too late, she was gone. Eva fell to her knees and Halvard ran over and fell down next to her and gently grabbed her shoulders. Together, everyone watched as Elsbeth fled to the mountains.

Halvard looked at the fjord and his eyes widened.

"Look. The fjord." Halvard said.

Abigail, Logan, George, Tamara, Lucy, and Eva looked out and they gasped.

The thick ice rationing from Elsbeth's footsteps didn't stop spreading out after she ran across it, and it wasn't stopping now either. In fact, it was getting larger and spreading more. The ice spread around on both sides of the fjord and it covered the water for as far as they could see.

The fjord was frozen.

Not only that, but the temperature had dropped drastically and a light snow had started to fall. As everyone looked out again at Elsbeth, they saw that she had reached the other side of the shore. For a moment, they saw her running onto the coast and into the tree line, never looking back, and then she vanished into the forest.

Abigail, Logan, George, Tamara, Lucy, Eva, and Halvard could see no more even if snow wasn't beginning to fall harder.

They also knew something bad had happened.

Another Eternal Winter had started in Arendelle.


	21. Eva, Elsa, And Lucy Leave

**Chapter 21: Eva, Elsa, and Lucy leave**

Five minutes later, as Abigail, Logan, George, Tamara, Lucy, Eva, and Halvard returned to the courtyard, the air was definitely getting colder. Their breaths were steadily coming out as white puffs, as was everyone else's. By now, the snow was falling steadily enough to start accumulating in white patches. Naturally, everyone who had gathered in the square, which consisted of the delegates, The Disney Characters, and The Rugrats's Children and their children, were full of a mixture of confusion and fear as they looked around.

"Snow? In Summer?" Miriam asked.

"In July?" The Sultan asked.

"The harbor's completely frozen! Nothing but ice!" Clopin said.

"It's getting so cold out!" Susan said.

As Abigail, Logan, George, Tamara, Lucy, Eva, and Halvard made their way back to the frozen fountain, one particular person in particular drew Eva's attention. She saw the form of The Duke of Weselton standing out in the middle of the courtyard with his two bodyguards and he was looking around nervously.

"Not again! The land is cursed again and Elsbeth's trapped us here!" The Duke of Weselton yelled.

Eva sighed and then she said "It was all my fault.".

Both The Duke of Weselton and Halvard looked at her when she said that, as did Abigail, Logan, George, Tamara, Lucy, and many of the surrounding people.

"Eva..." Abigail began to say.

"I drove her to do this. I'm the one who made her lose control." Eva said.

Halvard shook his head in response and he said "Eva, you can't blame yourself for all this...".

The Duke of Weselton huffed in response, seeming to ignore the entire exchange.

"That doesn't excuse what happened here! Someone has to go after her!" The Duke of Weselton said.

"No!" Eva suddenly shot back, turning her head upward. Abigail, Logan, George, Tamara, Lucy, Halvard, The Duke of Weselton, and everyone else looked at her. But before anyone could protest anything, she inhaled sharply and then spoke more sharply "I have to go after her.".

Abigail, Logan, George, Tamara, Lucy, and Halvard went a little wide-eyed when they heard that. So did anyone within earshot.

"I'm the one who pushed her to this, and I should be the one to bring her back. I'll find her and talk to her and I'll get her to stop this." Eva said.

"Then let me come with you." Halvard said.

"No. I need you to stay here and help my parents, uncle, and aunt take care of everyone." Eva said.

"Then let us come with you." Elsa said, walking up with Lucy. Elsa then said "I know the way that Elsbeth is taking the best and me and Lucy could help you.".

Eva thought about it and she said "Alright.".

Elsa turned to a castle servant and she said "Bring us 2 horses.".

The servant nodded and turned and bolted for the stables.

Eva turned to Halvard and she said "Help my parents, uncle, and aunt keep things calm and in order until I get back.".

Halvard hesitated for a moment, looking more intent on going. However, on following her gaze and looking around, he drew himself up and crossed his hand before him and he said "Alright.".

A minute later, the servant returned with 2 horses. Eva got on one and Lucy and Elsa got on the other one.

Eva turned to everyone else and she proclaimed "I'm leaving Sir Halvard in charge with my parents, uncle, and aunt while I'm away! Please give him whatever assistance he requires!".

Halvard paused for only a moment to look around, so that the people could see his face and recognize him as the one named, but then looked back to Eva.

"Are you sure about going without me? It may not be safe?" Halvard asked.

Eva managed to give him a small smile and a shrug and she said "Elsbeth's my sister. She would never hurt me.".

Halvard said no more, but paused for a moment before nodding and stepping back. Once that was done, the rest of the people parted and Eva and Lucy gave a snap of the reins on their horses. Soon after, the horses took off through the secondary gate, the one closer to the countryside, and in no time Eva, Elsa, and Lucy had passed under the threshold and were running out along the bridge.

Meanwhile, the snow continued to fall, slowly building in strength.


	22. The Journey

**Chapter 22: The Journey**

Eva, Elsa, and Lucy traveled through the night and the next day. The horse that Eva had been riding on had gotten spooked out by something and reared up in surprise and Eva fell off of it, so she had to ride on Elsa and Lucy's horse. By the 2nd day that they were gone, they had reached a hill that was halfway to The North Mountain, which Elsa figured out was where Elsbeth was heading. As they got onto the hill, the trees broke enough that they could look down all the way to the ocean. Eva's eyes widened and she got off the horse and walked up to the edge of the hill. She paused there to look and she saw that, much to her unease, that the land was frozen solid as far as the eye could see, all the way to the horizon. Far worse than that, however, was that she could make out a white, irregular bump away on the coast and she realized that it was Arendelle, completely frozen over and in deep snow.

Elsa saw Arendelle and she got off the horse and she walked over next to Eva. Lucy stayed on the horse and she looked at Arendelle.

"It's completely frozen!" Elsa said.

Eva thought for a moment and she said "It'll be fine. Elsbeth will thaw it.".

"Will she?" Elsa asked.

"Yeah." Eva said.

Elsa nodded and they got back onto the horse and they continued on their journey to The North Mountain.

* * *

Eva, Elsa, and Lucy may have gotten a glimpse of Arendelle while on top of the hill, but things were a bit more tense than they realized.

By now, much of the city was under heavy snowfall, and the people had come close to panicking more than once, understandably so. Although the actual flakes coming down had never been more than light, and most of the time the sky had been clear, snow piles just seemed to "form" on everything. It was also colder than the worst winter any of the delegates, The Disney Characters, and The Rugrats's children and their children had seen since Arendelle's 1st Eternal Winter. The people who lived in Arendelle weren't even used to making preparations for winter until late August or even early September. Not to mention with all of the delegates, The Disney Characters, and The Rugrats's children and their children in town, and now forced to stay whether they liked it or not, the town was crowded heavily.

Everyone had held out alright the first day, but by now things were getting rather strained since they were into the second day of being "snowed in". That being said, Eva had apparently made a good choice in having Halvard help Abigail, Logan, George, and Tamara.

He and Abigail, Logan, George, and Tamara had wasted little time tackling the problem head on. Their first order of business was to organize all of the able-bodied Disney Characters they could find, and then divided them into two respective groups. The men they put to work chopped firewood as there was a shortage at this time of year, and the women they put to work cracked open Arendelle's fabric stockpiles, the wool in particular, and started to produce as many cloaks as they could. As for the castle's staff, they made use of them being on duty to turn the castle itself into a mass shelter for people with no means of warmth, and had them serving soup and hot chocolate, broken out of the castle stores, to anyone who came in trying to warm up. As for themselves and the castle guards, they formed a "task force" which went into the city itself to keep the roads clear of snow, and once that was done, went about spreading the word about the shelter, handing out the cloaks to whoever needed one, and generally maintaining order. All in all, Halvard, Abigail, Logan, George, and Tamara were doing well. They kept a level head and issued an aura of calmness and control which kept people from panicking. Many of the people were already growing to respect Halvard for how "take-charge" he had been of the situation and was able to maintain order in a very uncertain time, not to mention the care and compassion that he, Abigail, Logan, George, and Tamara were showing.

At the moment, Halvard was near the castle gates leading to the bridge, being a very public place, and handing out a fresh stack of newly-completed cloaks after making the latest announcement about the castle shelter. Jacob and Jessica were assisting him with piles of their own. Naturally, they were all wearing ones of their own too. Yet as he worked, Halvard noticed someone coming through the castle gates and he looked to Jacob and Jessica as if he had to suppress a sigh at the sight. A moment later, he turned to Danielle and gave her the stack, asking her to continue passing them out, before looking forward to who was coming. It was Gaston, his arms wrapped around himself, looking irate and miserable, and he was accompanied by Lefou who, although was not wearing a cloak himself, seemed indifferent to the entire thing.

"Sir Halvard! If you don't mind my tone, some of us are starting to wonder about what you plan to do about this weather!" Gaston practically scowled as he approached.

"I'm already doing everything I can. Please, return to the castle." Halvard responded.

Gaston only scowled and he asked "Do you really expect us to just sit around and freeze while you waste time giving away all of Arendelle's tradeable goods?"

Now, Halvard's own gaze narrowed as he turned fully to face the hunter.

"Princess Eva entrusted me to help the kings and queens and she trusts my judgment to care of everyone in her absence." Halvard said.

"Oh, come off it! We all know there's one clear way to put an end to all of this..." Gaston snapped.

He was cut off a moment later, however, when Halvard stepped forward, his own look turning about as cold as the weather and his tone dark and warning.

"I will act in everyone's best interest. That includes protecting them, and The Confederacy's royal family, from hostile people." Halvard said.

Immediately, Gaston's eyes widened.

"Treason will not be tolerated." Halvard finished.

Instantly, the burly man began to bluster and he asked "Treason?". He nearly shrank back at the accusation.

Thinking that had quieted the man down, Halvard nearly turned away, when suddenly Banzai, who was being the watchman, gave a call from the city gates.

"Sir Halvard!" Banzai called out.

The man looked up in response, as did many of the other surrounding people and whatever citizens were out. Banzai pointed in the distance, toward the city's own northern gate and he said "Princess Eva's horse!"

Immediately, Gaston was forgotten as Halvard took off for the city's gate. Confederate Soldiers instantly followed behind. After a moment of hesitation, even Gaston and Lefou followed as well at a slower pace. Soon, they and whoever else had heard the news were rushing in that direction. By the time Halvard was in visual range of the wall and the open gate, the horse was charging through it, clearly frantic and having been running hard for a while. However, even from a distance, Halvard and the others with him saw that it had no rider. That immediately sent a chill through their hearts. As for Halvard, he ran forward to intercept the horse as it came in. At first, he looked to trample right over him.

"Whoa! Whoa! Easy, boy! Easy!" Halvard called as he held his hands up.

Luckily, the horse seemed rather well mannered. At first it slowed to a stop and gave a buck and a whinny when Halvard came in front of it. However, he continued to talk softly to the mount, taking it slow, and his smooth voice managed to calm the animal down enough to stop prancing and stand on four hooves. When that happened, Halvard moved in and gently took the bridle for control, and then looked over the back of the horse. There was no sign of Eva, and he had no clue as to where she had gone. The only thing that was clear was that the horse was rather cold, a layer of frost forming on its coat. It had to have been wandering around for a while, having lost its own way, before charging back to the town it knew. Either that, or it had come from a place colder than this part of Arendelle. Halvard looked to the horse for a moment, before he looked out in the direction it had come. For most of the way, there was nothing but forest and rolling hills. Any one of a million places in which Eva could now be, perhaps still walking, perhaps freezing in a hole somewhere. However, he did notice one thing that was different. Far above and beyond the hills, The North Mountain rose, framed against the sky like a picture. A great white peak, always covered with snow, even in summer from what he had heard. Could it be? At any rate, the horse had come from that direction and Eva had to be out there somewhere.

After a moment, he looked back to The Confederate Soldiers that had gathered, his face growing grim.

"Princess Eva is in danger. I'm going out after her and I'm putting out a call for any volunteers that wish to accompany me." Halvard stated.

There was a pause only for a moment, before a few of The Confederate Soldiers began to walk forward, raising their hands and giving calls. Charles, Camden, Rapunzel, Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed came forward as well. However, one voice in particular sounded out above them all and gained Halvard's attention, The Duke of Weselton's.

"I volunteer my two men!" The Duke of Weselton said.

Halvard looked up briefly in response to that, seeing The Duke of Weselton standing at a distance, and his two bodyguards at his side. He had little doubt that those were the two he had in mind. For a moment, he stared back. They didn't seem to be affected by the cold, and they seemed stronger than most, but he didn't care for their dark looks, or the duke's own avaricious one. At any rate, for the moment, he said nothing and turned back to the people who were coming forward.

When he did, The Duke of Weselton spoke in a voice so quiet only the two bodyguards could hear.

"Be prepared for what you will encounter. If you should encounter Princess Elsbeth, you are not to harm her." The Duke of Weselton said.


	23. The North Mountain

**Chapter 23: The North Mountain**

Eva, Elsa, and Lucy finally reached The North Mountain in a little less than an hour. They reached a large rock wall and they looked for an entrance through. After a minute, Lucy found an entrance. It was an space that went around and under a small rock arch, apparently leading to another side. Lucy told the others and the group soon made their way through the short tunnel and on the other side, they saw a separate path leading up the mountain from another cardinal direction. A bit longer and steeper, but it eventually flattened out for the most part on this stretch of snowy ground. To one side, a rocky hill rose up high, forming almost a wall of rock. Beyond that, it flattened out a bit, save for one boulder, before reaching a sight that nearly made Eva's jaw drop. Even knowing that Elsbeth could bring winter to life, she had never seen or dreamed of anything like this. The most beautiful, pure, and perfect piece of ice she had ever seen in his life stood before him. In the light of the sun, it shone out like a blue diamond. A perfect, flawless, and clean set of ice stairs spanned a deep chasm that rounded whatever part of this area wasn't the path to a magnificent palace made completely out of ice. It was symmetrical and proper in every way.

"Wow. Never in my life would I have thought that someone else with my powers would be able to do something like this." Elsa said.

Elsa managed to avert her eyes long enough to look at Eva for a moment, and she saw that Eva was as captivated as she was. Clearly, she had never expected to encounter anything like this, a palace of ice fit for a queen. She was speechless as she looked at it. As it turned out, Lucy was the one who led the way and as she walked she said "Come on! Let's go see Elsbeth! Maybe she'll invite us in!".

Her last phrase echoed loudly as she reached the stairs and began to ascend them,. Soon after, Eva gathered herself together and began to follow. It was a bit hard for her because she had to walk up the steps slowly and make use of the rails. After all, they were pure, flawless ice, and as such not very heavy on friction for walking.

Elsa soon walked up the stairs and she reached the ground on the other side and caught up to Eva just as she ascended the last few steps to the threshold. Right before them both was a massive set of ice doors, so clean and pure that, even frosted, you could almost see right through them. As Elsa arrived, Eva walked on ahead to the doorway, while Elsa came to a stop near Lucy. Eva reached them a moment later and held up her hand. Yet once there, she hesitated. Elsa saw her head bow, as if she was thinking of something or remembering something.

Eva finally swallowed, drew her head up, and knocked on the door. Moments later, there was a large groaning of ice on ice as the door slid open a bit. Elsa was a bit surprised, but it seemed Eva was far more so, actually snapping back a bit.

"It opened." Eva stated, before giving a nervous laugh.

Elsa began to step forward. However, when that happened, Eva immediately turned around and held her hands up.

"Wait... I want to go in alone." Eva stated. She then asked "Please?".

Elsa thought about it and she said "Alright. I'll wait out here.". She turned around to seat herself on the front step.

"Alright, let's head in!" Lucy said as she began to walk forward. She soon found herself stopped as Eva got in front of her.

"You too Lucy." Eva said.

Immediately, Lucy frowned and she sagged a bit in disappointment at being denied the chance to talk to her cousin. Eva began to near the door, again holding up her hands as she passed through the crack and she asked "Just... give us a minute, alright?".

Lucy managed a slight smile and she said "Alright.".

Eva smiled back, and then slipped in and shut the door behind her. As she did, Lucy turned and she sat next to Elsa.

* * *

Inside was even more unbelievable than outside.

It was just as cold in the interior, which was to be expected from the entire place being made of ice, but it looked to Eva as if it was flawless blue glass. The floor she walked across was so perfect it was like a frozen pond, or even a looking glass. Ahead of her, there were two circling staircases leading up more icy steps to a balcony, which connected from there behind to another rising circular staircase that she could just see through the ice walls. The walls and archways were all elegant architecture, finer even than a castle, and in the center of the room for décor there was a fountain that seemed to "spray" ice so fine that it looked almost like mist rising from it in descending layers. Eva was almost enraptured and in total disbelief.

_"__Elsbeth made all of this in two days? I had no idea..." _Eva thought to herself.

She slowly ventured in further, taking all of this in and ignoring the puffs her breath made in the palace. She was too busy looking at everything about her being reflected in the columns, the panels, the floors, and just seeing all of the wonderful constructs of ice about her as she neared the right arm of the stairs. Yet she soon heard the most welcome sound of all.

"Eva?" Elsbeth asked.

Immediately, Eva turned her head up, and found herself looking at the balcony. She nearly gaped again at what she saw.

"Elsbeth?" Eva asked.

Eva hardly recognized her sister now. She had never seen her dress so... loosely. Clad in a shimmering gown of what Eva assumed was more ice. How could she even wear such a thing? And it was so thin, indicating that Elsbeth wasn't the least bit cold in this place. Yet her face seemed more animated. And her hair, so wild and free. Even though Elsbeth stood with her hands folded and looking down at her, Eva had never seen her look so "alive". She seemed years younger now.

"You've... you've changed." Eva said in a stunned moment.

Realizing how that sounded, she immediately shook her head.

"But I like it! I mean, it's a good change!" Eva said.

Elsbeth smiled and gave a small laugh and she said "Thank you."

Eva gestured around her and she asked "Elsbeth... you made all of this?"

Elsbeth nodded and Eva said "It's amazing! I've never seen anything like it."

Elsbeth, in turn, looked up and around herself and she said "I never knew what I was capable of... until now. All I have to do is think of how I want it to look and... I just feel it come out and telling my hands how to move to make it.".

Eva smiled back for a moment, until Elsbeth looked back at her. After that, she began to advance again, and soon reached the stairs. Grabbing the railing, she began to step up.

"Listen, I want to apologize for back at the party. I didn't mean to..." Eva said.

However, on seeing Eva rising to her, Elsbeth suddenly recoiled a step, as if a fear or dread had come over her.

"No." Elsbeth said. She seemed to say, more out of instinct than anything and it surprised Eva enough to stand where she was. Elsbeth kept her hands up however and she said "It's okay... I forgive you." She paused, and then put her hands down again and she said "But... you should probably go now."

Eva's look turned to confusion and she asked "Go? But... I just got here. I came here to find you and bring you back."

Elsbeth exhaled a bit, and gestured around her. She gave a wistful smile and she said "This is my home now Eva. I don't get cold and I even found out I don't need to eat unless I want to. My power... I don't know... keeps me from 'burning anything'. You belong in Richmond with mom and dad.".

"So do you." Eva said, taking another few steps as she did so.

Elsa opened her mouth to protest, but Eva interrupted her.

"We're best friends Elsbeth. It can still be like that." Eva said.

Elsbeth hesitated. As Eva looked, she began to see a new smile starting to appear on Elsbeth's face, one of a happy memory. Eva saw her give a bit and, for a moment, she thought she'd actually come down.

But before she could, Elsbeth's pupils shrank, and her smile vanished. She held a moment, as if she was remembering something painful... and scary to her. Suddenly, she snapped out of it and recoiled again.

"No... no we can't." Elsbeth flatly answered, before beginning to turn. She then said "Goodbye Eva." She threw out before moving through the entryway and making for the second set of stairs. Eva immediately rose and she called out "Elsbeth, wait!" She began to run after her and she said "Don't do this! It doesn't have to be like this!".

As Eva was able to reach the balcony, Elsbeth paused and looked behind her from the transparent wall, already halfway up the stairs. She gave a strained sigh and she said "Eva, I'm sorry. I could hurt you..."

"You were scared and it was an accident!" Eva insisted as she continued to climb after her. Elsbeth, on her part, sighed and continued to go up, but Eva continued to follow.

"But I'm not afraid of you! I'm your sister and I'll be by your side! Anything that happens, we can face together. We can clear everything up and then you can come back!" Eva said.

Elsbeth was slowing with each step as Eva continued to talk to her, but she still managed to stay ahead all the way up the second set of stairs as she opened a new set of ice doors and walked into a beautiful "upper terrace" that had a snowflake etching against the ground, a wide, open window with a beautiful view of the mountain landscape, and an elegant ice chandelier hanging overhead. By the time Eva had caught up to her, she saw her almost in the middle of the room, clutching for her chest. Even if she wouldn't admit it, Eva could tell Elsbeth was more than conflicted about this. She knew a part of her wanted to come back. As she followed her inside, she called out again "You won't be alone. I'll be right here.". Elsbeth swallowed and she quivered a bit, as if in pain, before she sharply inhaled and looked back to her.

"Eva... it's not that simple. I wish it was. I wish to God it was, but it's not." Elsbeth said.

Elsbeth held a moment, and then gave a weak, yet encouraging, smile and she said "Eva... go on home to everyone else. You have a great life ahead of you. Waiting for you.". She stammered, and then gestured and said "You'll be happy. And I'm…". She hesitated a bit, but then, as if steeling her resolve, she straightened herself up more and made her smile bigger and she said "And I'm happy here. Sure, I'm still alone... but... I won't hurt anyone.".

She turned away again and began to walk closer to the window. Eva began to follow her again.

"You see that out there Eva? It's a world all to myself. It's a world I can survive in. I might be alone... but I'm alone and free." Elsbeth said.

Elsbeth paused and exhaled and said "Just... just go home and be happy. You can rest knowing I'm up here and happy too. And you, and everyone else will be safe from me and my power."

On hearing that, Eva began to realize something. Apparently, Elsbeth knew a lot less about her powers than apparently she knew. Eva swallowed a bit and winced and said "Um…technically we're not.".

At once, Elsbeth turned around to face her again and she asked "What do you mean?"

"I... get the feeling you don't know..." Eva said

Elsbeth turned fully to look at her and she asked "Eva, what don't I know?".

Eva swallowed a bit. She realized saying this was going to justify all of Elsbeth's fears, but she didn't really have a choice at this point. Squeezing it out, she confessed "Arendelle... is in about eight feet of snow right now... and it looks like you kind of set off an eternal winter... the worst on record since Arendelle's 1st Eternal Winter. Like... arctic level. The fjord is completely frozen and no one has been able to leave.".

Elsbeth's face suddenly seemed to turn as white. Her mouth began to quiver while her eyes enlarged to the size of plates.

"Wh…what?" Elsbeth asked.

She slowly exhaled, in a mixture of disbelief... and horror. Eva began to hear the wind pick up a bit around them, and she realized it was happening again. Elsbeth was getting deathly afraid. Quickly, Eva offered a weak smile as flakes began to fall in the room.

"But that's okay! All you have to do is fix it and everything will be alright!" Eva instantly stated.

Elsbeth's look only grew more horrified as the flakes began to fall more steadily and the wind picked up.

"I can't just 'fix it'! I don't know how! I don't even know how I did it!" Elsbeth shot back.

"Sure you can! I know you can!" Eva responded.

She said this even as the wind began to sting a bit and started to knock up the flakes. As for Elsbeth, she grabbed her side in frustration and turned away.

"Darn it! I'm such a fool! I can't even live free!" Elsbeth cried as she started to walk again, the snowfall increasing enough to be steady white mist and now sweeping around in a snowstorm level. Holding out her hand, Eva tried to approach again.

"Look, we can figure this out!" Eva said.

Elsbeth grasped her face with her hands, bending over as the storm began to approach blizzard level, and Eva couldn't even see out the window anymore.

"Don't you see? I can't control it!" Elsbeth said.

"Elsbeth... just calm down! I'm here! I'm here to work with you!" Eva said.

"Eva, please! You're only making it worse!" Elsbeth shouted back over the rising gale. By now, Eva couldn't even keep her eyes open by a crack, and the wind was tugging so furiously at her Royal Gray Confederate Uniform that it threatened to knock her over. But still, she wouldn't back up. She couldn't. This was her sister!

"I'll help you! I know you can do it!" Eva said.

"No I can't!" Elsbeth shot back, the storm only intensifying, and her own passion building.

"Yes you can!" Eva said.

The storm suddenly turned to a whiteout as she could hear actual anger on Elsbeth's voice.

"No... I... CAN'T!" Elsbeth yelled.

As she said this last part, she snapped around, and all of the snow and wind was immediately drawn out of the air, sucked into her own body... and then exploded out radially, sending out blasts of cold mist like lances of ice in all directions... one of which sailed straight to Eva's chest region and pierced the area right over her heart.

Instantly, the young woman let out a gasp as what felt like an icy knife struck her, and she couldn't breathe or move. At once, Eva lost all of her strength as her eyes closed and she collapsed to the floor.

Elsbeth, who had only turned slightly, began to breathe heavy and deep, her hands balled into fists at her sides and seething. However, after a moment of not hearing Eva's voice, she turned to look and let out a small gasp of her own. She saw that after falling to the ground, Eva had nevertheless seemed to instinctively pull her hands around her chest. In Elsbeth's mind, a terrible, terrible fear infinitely worse than the eternal winter she had set off ran through it. But then, Eva felt the pain ease. She still felt "sore" in that region, but it was leaving quickly. Exhaling a bit, she began to breathe more easily. Although she felt a tad weak, she started to spread out her hands to push herself up. She didn't see it, but Elsbeth eased just slightly on seeing this. However, her fear still remained, now at what she had nearly done. And as her fear lasted, the beautiful ice walls began to slowly be "infected" with a darker shade of ice. A "crackling", loud, deep, and resonating through the entire chamber, the entire palace even, began to come out as what looked like frozen darkness started to slowly slip into the columns, the floor, everywhere.

Soon, however, she heard a new sound. This one of larger, heavier footsteps. As Eva's eyes began to flutter open, she looked toward the door, and saw Elsa suddenly burst through it. Her face was full of more concern. She looked briefly at Elsbeth, before making sure to give her a wide berth as she ran to Eva's side. On reaching her, she moved her hands out to help her up.

"Eva? Are you alright? What happened? I heard yelling..." Elsa asked.

"I'm... I'm fine." Eva managed to say after a moment, reaching out to take Elsa's hands before she began to pull her up to her feet. However, once she stood, Eva stared at Elsbeth. Her look was no longer as warm as it had been before. It was more anxious... more disbelieving. Elsa looked at her, and then at Elsbeth, and she immediately knew the truth. The reason for the look. What Eva had said had been wrong. Elsbeth had struck her.

The crackling expanded and by now, Elsa was hearing it clearly too, and she began to look around and see the changes. Elsbeth, however, shook her head.

"Just... go." Elsbeth said.

Eva herself kept her look, but also stepped forward again.

"You're coming with us." Eva said.

"No, I'm not. Leave me alone Eva." Elsbeth said.

Elsa herself was growing a bit nervous at the changes, and then looked back at Eva.

"Eva... maybe we should do as she says..." Elsa said.

"No!" Eva retorted, taking another step. She then said "I can help you!".

"How? What power do you have to stop this winter?! To stop me?" Elsbeth asked, looking at Eva with her face strained with agony, fear, sadness, and desperation. Eva stared back. She tried to think of something to say... but realized she didn't have anything. She could only stand there, stammering, trying to think of the right words, trying to think of anything.

"Leave Eva. Now." Elsbeth finally stated.

However, the young woman remained determined.

"I'm not leaving here without you." Eva said.

Elsbeth's look remained fixed for a moment, as if she had thought of something but was nervous about actually using it. However, in the end, she broke and went forward.

"Yes, you are." Elsbeth said.

With that, she swept her hands forward at the space between the two, instantly summoning a snowy whirlwind of cold. In spite of Eva's attempt to go forward, Elsa put her arms around her and pulled her back and away from it. As she did, both of them looked and saw pieces of snow and ice beginning to gather together in the whirlwind, being sucked into it rapidly and deposited on the floor. And as they were, something quickly began to take shape. What looked like an irregular mound of snow started to enlarge, as if it was literally rising through the floor. It was lumpy, but thick, almost looking more like a great white rock than a snow pile. And as it came out, it began to form other pieces of snow on the side of it, like massive, irregular limbs and feet. At this, Eva began to realize what this was. A snowman, or a snow "creature". As the whirlwind died down, this thing was more like a "snow ogre". It easily towered ten feet in the air and probably higher. It was mostly pure snow in terms of what it was made of, only with elephant-like feet with "kneepads" or 'knee bones" of jagged ice, and the joints connected with an underlying skeleton of ice. The face was not in the least bit happy and friendly. Rather, it had a thick neck and a head protruding rather than sitting on top of it, with two holes for eyes… ones that could crease in anger, no less… and a cavernous mouth that had a very "grumpy" look about it. This thing now obscured Elsbeth and turned right to Eva and Elsa. It didn't seem to need commands. This snow ogre seemed to know what it's purpose was as it started to resound with massive steps while approaching Eva and Elsa.


	24. The Snow Creature

**Chapter 24: The Snow Creature**

Eva wasn't exactly sure what happened over the next minute. Only that the snow "thing" was faster than it looked, because before she had a chance to react she had been picked up along with Elsa and none-too-gently thrown over its shoulder. Immediately, it stomped downstairs and snatched up Lucy as well. It didn't seem to care a lot when Eva started squirming and fighting, pounding away at its snowy body and insisting on being put down. Before she knew it, the door to the palace was being kicked open.

"Let me go, you oversized snowball! I'm not done talking to my sister!" Eva shouted as she continued to beat ineffectually on it.

"Go away!" The snow ogre thundered in response before simply seizing Eva, Elsa, and Lucy and tossing them away from the entrance.

Fortunately for them, the creature didn't throw them into the chasm, but just the same they found themselves landing rather roughly and painfully on the staircase before they began to slide down it for a rather hard and uncomfortable ride all the way back to the bottom and into the snow there. Eva, in spite of having a rather sore rear end at the end of that, managed to rise rather quickly, both out of anger as well as indignity. Elsa and Lucy did so a bit more slowly. Eva's anger flared and she scooped her hands out and gathered together an amount of snow and compressed it into a ball. Standing back up, she began to rear back.

"That wasn't nice!" Eva shouted.

Yet before she could loose the snowball, Elsa quickly went over and held her back.

"Hey, hey! It's okay! Just let it go! Don't make the oversized snowman mad." Elsa immediately answered in an attempt to reassure her.

Eva held a moment, but then relented, her hands falling even as she continued to glare at the snow beast on top of the stairs. Finally, with a huff, she turned and began to walk away. Elsa followed for a moment... only to see Eva suddenly snap back up and throw the snowball as soon as she was clear. The snow ogre stood there with the same grumpy look as he watched the tiny snowball rise into the air, above the stairs, and gracefully arc until it made contact with the side of his body, obliterating in a completely ineffectual manner into a bit of powder. Instantly, his back erupted into "bony" ice spikes, razor-sharp nails of ice exploded from his hands, and he looked to Eva with such inconceivable rage that his face deformed and blasted out frost as he roared in a voice that echoed up and down the mountain range for miles. Elsa let out a groan as Eva began to pale, her own anger evaporating.

"There, you see? You made him angry!" Elsa said.

Eva grabbed Elsa's hand and they instantly snapped around and bolted down the trail. Lucy went down a different path. As for the snow ogre, it tore down the stairs with a murderous look on its twisted face far faster than one would think possible. Somehow, the rather fragile-looking floating staircase managed to hold it not only during this stamping, but when it had gone down halfway and then leaped across the rest of the chasm, sending out a thunderous impact when it crashed on the ground.

Eva and Elsa ran down the side of the mountain as fast as they could. They didn't have time to pace their breathing or to watch their footing. They merely ran down the path. Their pursuer wasn't being tied up by the snow at all. Each monstrous footstep it took seemed to slam it into the ice like an anchor, and even if it was a bit slower each monstrous stride easily surpassed the distance that the two were able to take in a short time. They both looked behind themselves fearfully as they ran on, seeing the monstrous snow ogre continuing to close in on them with each step, flashing its talons of ice out at them and looking positively enraged. Eva nearly felt like shouting out at it.

Yet before she could say anything else, both she and Elsa found the ground giving way before them before their stomachs were pushed up into their lungs as they dropped. Both looked forward and cried out as they realized they had not been paying attention to the slope and had stepped off of a veritable white cliff. One that stretched rather high. Luckily for them, it was still a slope as they slid down such a sheer, frictionless expanse of snow that it seemed as if they would be able to "hover" off of it after a second. However, after sliding down a considerable distance, the snow began to slope upward again, leveling out as they descended back into the tree line. Eva continued to cry out a bit more, before both she and Elsa sailed off of an abrupt termination: a short, rocky cliff at the end. It was indeed rather like a ski jump, and soon her voice increased in volume again as they were both launched. Luckily, this one wasn't nearly as far, and soon they both came down and plopped in the snow.

Eva's heart was racing a mile a minute, even if the pain from earlier had lessened to being non-existent. Quickly, she began to push up. Elsa, however, wgot to her feet faster, and already looked behind her. After her eyes widened, she turned back to Eva and quickly took her arm, helping her to get up quickly.

"Come on, we got to go! Don't stop!" Elsa said.

Eva didn't argue as she was helped up, but she had scarcely gotten to her feet and took a step before she found out why Elsa had wanted to keep going... as the ground shuddered behind them. She risked a look back, and saw that the snow ogre not only hadn't been content to let them flee at that point, but had jumped down the entire cliff and landed at the base, just as monstrous and angry as ever as it flashed its claws and growled a blast of even more ice breath. It only let the two gain a bit more distance on it before it began to stomp after them.

Now, the two were running into a forest again, weighed down with more snow than ever. Some of the trees looked to be little more than odd white stakes as they ran through them. They had the advantage of a bit more air, a bit warmer temperature, and a downhill slope as they went. Not to mention the fact that the trees were close enough together to force the snow monster to run around a few of them to keep up. However, as they went on, it did indeed manage to keep up, and more than that start to slowly close the distance once again. Eva realized that this thing wasn't going to "accept an apology" from her. She didn't know what madness had possessed Elsbeth to create it, but it wasn't interested in just chasing them off but probably doing a lot worse. They had to do something to slow it down. Then, she ran by and saw it. One of the trees was bent over in a snow arch and she could even hear it straining a bit underneath the snow load. It gave her an idea, one that she hoped worked. Abruptly, Eva stopped in her tracks near the tip. Elsa kept running a bit farther, before she halted and snapped back around.

"What are you doing?" Elsa asked.

The snow ogre, however, continued to stomp after them unabated. Seeing Eva stop only encouraged it to charge forward even faster straight for her and straight for the tree trunk. Hoping this would be enough to make it recoil, Eva waited until the monster got even with it, almost near enough to reach out for her. Then, with as much power as she could muster, she snapped her foot out and kicked the side of the trunk, causing a great deal of the snow on it to fall off. The end result was like a catapult had been cut. The tree, relieved of a great deal of its weight, began to snap back up, shaking off the rest in a blink of an eye, and soon shooting straight. Before the beast could realize what had happened, the trunk of the tree smashed into it so hard that part of its own body was compressed by the impact, and bits of snow from its own frame were knocked loose as it fell back and sprawled out on the ground.

Eva couldn't help but pause long enough to give a grin and a cheer to herself, but then she immediately turned and took off again. Elsa only waited until she was alongside her before doing the same. As serious as that looked, she knew that it would rebuild itself in just a few moments. Not only that, but if a snowball had turned it into a homicidal rage she didn't like to imagine how angry it was going to be after that. The two continued to shoot through the forest, letting gravity pull them farther and farther on as they tried to put as much distance as they could between them and the monster. Hopefully, by the time it got up, they'd be in the clear, although Eva doubted it. There was snow covering everything, after all and it could see their tracks easily. Eva never thought in a thousand years she would be wishing that it would be snowing even more right then. Yet that was nothing compared to the next shock she received. Abruptly, the tree line broke and extended right to the edge of another cliff. Both Eva and Elsa had to quickly dig their feet in to keep themselves from letting inertia send them right over the edge. But when they did finally manage to slow down and halt, both of them got a good look over the cliff. Much to Eva's terror, they wouldn't be "sliding" down this one. It was a vertical rock face. There wasn't even a chance of climbing it like the last one she had encountered. There was nothing at all to grab onto and it was so high that she actually saw a fog at the bottom almost obscuring where it ended.

"Oh no." Eva murmured.

"That's got to be a hundred feet or two hundred." Elsa muttered aloud as she quickly reached into a satchel bag that was on her dress and removed a rope and ice axe.

Even as she said this, far in the distance, a roar sounded from someone who was far too familiar for Eva's taste. She turned her head, and already saw trees in the distance rustling. Not from impact, but more like someone was pressing against them as they came forward. Before the snow ogre had just walked normally. Now it was so mad it was going through everything in its way. As she stared, Eva suddenly gave a bit of a gasp as she felt something tighten around her. She looked down and saw that, while she was staring, Elsa had already looped the rope around Eva and tied it. After that was done, she took up the ice axe and started to hack away at the thick snow on top of the cliff. She soon began to make a circular shape.

"What are you doing?" Eva asked.

"Digging a snow anchor." Elsa answered as she finished.

Moving quickly, she put the ice axe back in the satchel and grabbed the other end of the rope. As the stomping grew louder and growling became audible, already half the distance closed, she quickly tied this end and looped it around what she had dug. Elsa began to jam it in a moment later. Eva, on her part, nervously looked over the edge again, then back to Elsa.

"Elsa... what if we fall?" Eva asked.

"There's twenty feet of fresh powder down there. It'll be just like landing on a pillow" Elsa said in between movements.

She finished tucking the rope, before raising it up and making a loop around herself. "Elsa quickly took up the rest, and "felt out" a bit as she inched closer to the cliff. Eva swallowed as she again looked over the side, then back to him.

"Don't look down." Elsa warned.

_"A little late..."_ Eva thought with a mental whimper.

Three quarters of the distance was closed, and the monster was still coming through the trees. The two could actually hear them bending and cracking as it came.

"On three." Elsa stated as she tightened up.

"One..." Elsa said.

The stomping began to shake the ground and flakes started to fall off the edge.

"Two…" Elsa said.

Abruptly, a massive ripping sound went out as well as what sounded like ice breaking. A moment later, to the shock of Elsa, an entire uprooted tree trunk flew out of the line and right for them. It wasn't clear whether it had been cast or the monster had merely knocked it up in its wake, but in either case it was incoming. On spotting it, Eva didn't wait any more as she jumped.

"Three!" Eva called out.

Elsa snapped to her, seeing her already heading down, and barely managed to jump behind her before the mere force of Eva's inertia pulled her over the edge, the tree smashing down where they had been moments later. In seconds, both of them were plummeting to the ground, the length of rope that Elsa had already let off rapidly giving out and tightening as she solidified her grip on her end. Then, after falling about the first twenty feet, the snow anchor snapped taut. Both Elsa and Eva soon jerked to a halt, and Elsa winced a bit as the force of both of their bodies tightened on one hand. As it was, Elsa gritted her teeth and began to feel the rope, while swinging herself slightly forward. Soon, she managed to get in enough of a rhythm to begin rappelling down the rock cliff. Eva, on her part, struggled not to look down, but given her position that was all she could see. Instead, she quickly seized her end of the rope and turned herself skyward, trying not to think of the possibility of Elsa's hasty knot loosening. Up above, the tree line continued to shake and bend as the monster grew closer and closer. Finally, the snow ogre finished breaking through the tree line, still looking angry and snarling. As he stepped out onto the ground with a resounding thud, he began to walk forward again. It's eyes…or, at least, it's eye sockets, were focused on the piece of rope tied to the snow.

By now, Elsa, who had been lowering them as fast as humanly possible, had only managed to descend the first hundred feet. Now, however, she and Eva both looked up and they realized that they had to hurry up. Elsa soon returned to her task and lowered once again. In no time at all, she had managed to take them both down to about a distance of only fifty feet left. Nervous and frightened as Eva was, she realized that they weren't far from being able to safely "jump" the rest of the way, snow or no snow. She only prayed mentally that the monster would let them go after that point and not jump after them again.

Yet even as she thought of this, she suddenly felt a sharp tug on the line as they froze in place, left suspended in midair for a moment. Eva instantly looked up and around in confusion... before she saw they were going up again. For a moment, she looked to Elsa to shout at her for what was going on, only to find that she was trying to feel out the rope as fast as she could... and they were still going up. She also looked rather scared herself at the moment. Eva looked up a moment later to see why, and let out a gasp.

Low as they were, she could just make out white arms with icy claws yanking the length of rope back up the cliff.

Frantic, Eva began to go for the knot in her rope. But, this knot had been made specifically so that she couldn't accidentally pull it loose. A few moments later, she turned her head up and began to cry out. "Elsa!"

She didn't say more than that, however. Eva was about to tell Elsa to use her ice powers so they could cut the rope, but by that point not only were they out of rope and going back up the cliff faster than ever, they were already passing eighty feet…and now ninety. Nevertheless, as the monster rapidly pulled them up past one hundred, one hundred and ten, and one hundred and twenty, Elsa too started to realize it was either risk the powder or risk the monster. With that in mind, she struggled to start using her powers. Unfortunately, between the snow ogre's pulling and her own frantic movements, she was beginning to spiral around in circles. Even when Eva tried to steady it out, things only got worse.

As they went above one hundred and fifty feet and began to hear the grunting of the monster, Elsa tried something new and tried to get herself undone from the rope. Yet they only went up about another twenty feet before the rope, shaking so much from the actions of the monster, swung her too hard back toward the rock face, and Eva actually winced when she heard Elsa's head make a solid "thunk" with the cliff. She gave out an aborted yell before she went limp on the line.

"Elsa!" Eva shouted again. She didn't react, and Eva honestly couldn't tell if that move had just knocked her out or done a bit worse. At any rate, as they closed to within twenty feet, she realized she was the only one at this point who could do anything. As quickly as she could, she began to reach down. She started to reach into her haversack so she could get a knife to cut the rope. Ten feet from the edge came, and she quickly rummaged through her haversack, she managed to catch a glimmer of a knife handle. As Elsa herself gave a dull moan and she was instants from grabbing it, however, the icy claws of the monster pulled them up the rest of the way past the edge, until they were looking right at its face. Elsa weakly cracked open her eyes just in time to have her head hovering near Eva's as they both got a glimpse of its angry look.

Instantly, its mouth opened wide and roared as it breathed freezing cold frost over both of them.

"DON'T COME BACK!" the snow creature roared.

The two were left swaying from the simple act of him yelling, before Eva opened her now-frost-covered eyes and gave an innocent smile.

"We won't!" Eva said.

Then, immediately, she seized the knife and yanked herself high to cut the rope above Elsa's waist. Moments later, both of them were sent plummeting down the cliff. Elsa was still too out of it to say anything, but as Eva once again felt her insides "floating", she couldn't help but let out another scream as she fell. After all, there was a chance this might be the last sound she ever got to make. At least she went back first for the first part of the drop. Her gaze looked back toward the top of the cliff as the monster glared down at them. However, it merely snorted in satisfaction, gave a nod, and then turned to start walking back to the palace, vanishing from view.

_"Oh yeah, you couldn't have done that just one minute ago you oversized jerk?"_ Eva felt herself thinking with the last ounce of her fiery nature before her mind turned fully to the fact that she was possibly falling to her doom. The only worse thought was what if she did survive the fall? As her body began to spin around to go legs first, she began to wonder what it would feel like to have both of them snapped off or crushed, or what would happen if she bounced against the rock on the way down... or what about Elsa? How was she doing after having already hitting her head? What about Lucy?

But before she could fear anymore what might happen, she hit the bottom. Reflexively, her whole body seized up and her eyes closed as she felt force begin to impact against her. There was a jarring feeling in her legs, the sensation of snow being driven into her boots and uniform, before nothing. The woman continued to wince for a moment, expecting to hear a splat or to suddenly find her soul severed from her body. However, she heard nothing except a breeze of icy wind. Her legs began to smart a bit from being in contact with snow, but other than that, nothing else. Slowly, she cracked her eyes open and she found she was up to her waist in the stuff, having plunged her legs completely into it, and her ears and head felt a bit cold. Yet aside from that, she saw only a snowy expanse ahead of her leading into a thicker tree line, the shadow of the cliff hanging over her, and the sky slowly turning dark. She sighed in relief, and then smiled and patted the ground. "

Ha... just like a pillow!" Eva echoed.

However, her mind soon clicked on repeating that. Where was Elsa?

"Oh…oh no!" Eva said.

A moment after she said that, the powder next to her shifted as Elsa, moaning, grunting, and much to Eva's unease, with a purple and red streak just poking out of her hair line from where she had made contact with the cliff, leaned out of the snow. Exhaling a bit, Elsa leaned up the rest of the way out of the snow, and then turned to Eva to assist her. As she did, a series of footsteps soon rang out around them, before Lucy soon ran up to the group. After seeing that Eva and Elsa were alive, Lucy sighed.

As for Elsa, she had grabbed onto Eva's arms by now, and after giving a bit of a pull and a tug, she managed to yank her free from the snow and stood her on top of it. Eva immediately began to dust herself off to knock it loose from her uniform.

"Are you okay? No broken bones or anything?" Elsa asked.

"No, no I'm fine. Just a little bit of a jolt... and a scare is all." Eva answered as she looked back up to her. She soon winced again as she saw the bruise.

"But... what about you? What about that bump?" Eva asked as she reached out and touched it.

Instantly, Elsa gave a wince and recoiled.

"Oops! Sorry, sorry! I probably shouldn't have done that!" Eva immediately apologized.

"No, it's okay." Elsa stated a moment later, recovering. She then asked "So... what now?"

"What now..." Eva echoed a bit mechanically, still thinking. However, after a few seconds, the words sank in. When they did, she gave another gasp and she repeated "What now?". Face filling with anxiety, she began to turn away and fret.

"She... she threw me out! I... I... I don't know what to do! I can't go back to Arendelle like this! I said I'd bring her back and stop the winter! Now... now I... I..." Eva said.

"Hey, don't get so upset. We'll think of something." Elsa said.

Eva nearly said something, before giving pause. Wasn't that exactly what she had said to Elsbeth? And she expected that to calm her down and reassure her, didn't she? On realizing that, she began to relax a bit herself.

"Don't worry about it." Elsa continued.

Yet as she said that, Elsa's eyes drifted a bit. A moment later, they widened slightly and her smile vanished.

"Worry about your hair!" Elsa said.

Hearing this made Eva confused.

"What do you mean?" Eva asked

"Look at your hair! It's turning white!" Elsa said, pointing to Eva's braid with her white strand. Eva reached up to take the braid and her own eyes widened. She didn't just have one white strand anymore. On the contrary... that braid only had one dark purple strand in it now. The rest of it was streaked with white. She couldn't see it, but it had gone all the way up to the crown of her head now instead of just having the one strand at the temple. Elsa was right. Her hair was turning white.

"It's because she struck you back in that chamber, isn't it? That's why she shouted and that's why you were on the floor." Elsa asked her.

Eva uneasily looked at her braid a moment longer, then back up to her.

"Does it look bad?" Eva asked.

Elsa stared back silently. About two seconds passed, and then she asked "Where did she strike you?".

Eva thought about it and she said "In the chest, I think.".

Elsa's eyes widened and she said "Then, it's bad.". She then said "Eva, your sister put ice in your heart when she struck you. If it isn't removed, you will soon turn to ice yourself... permanently.".

Eva began to shudder and she asked "What?". She then asked "Is there anyway that I can remove it?".

Elsa thought for a moment and she said "Only an act of true love can thaw a frozen heart?".

"An act of true love?" Eva asked.

"Like... a true love's kiss.". Lucy said.

Eva nodded slowly and she began to shiver.

"Eva, we need to get you back to Halvard." Elsa said.

Eva blinked and then gave a nod.

"Halvard... right." Eva said.

Elsa and Lucy helped Eva up and they made their way back to the horse. Once they were on it, they left.


	25. The Arrival

**Chapter 25: The Arrival**

Shortly after Eva, Elsa, and Lucy had left, more people arrived at the palace.

At first light, just as the storm had managed to fully blot out the sun with gray, heavy, ominous clouds, and the snow truly began to fall, Sir Halvard, Charles, Camden, Rapunzel, Shenzi, Banzai, Ed, The Duke of Weselton's two men, and The Confederate Soldiers arrived at the palace. To be honest, all of them were overwhelmed. It was a good thing the others who had stayed behind were not here to see it. On beholding what Elsbeth had wrought, as well as how impressive it was and how quickly built, everyone felt a hint of fear rush through them, including Halvard himself.

At first, the journey had merely been in the direction Eva's horse had come in from. Yet it wasn't too terribly long after they had gotten ten miles from the city that they noticed the storm forming. This time, it had a place: The North Mountain. The reasoning soon became that if Eva was anywhere, it had to be en route to her sister. They had to push the horses rather hard to get there. The shortest path was inaccessible to them save by foot. However, the longer route, provided they could keep the horses moving, would end up ultimately being shorter by what they saved in terms of time.

Climbing up the mountain during the night had not been easy, especially between the increasingly-violent weather and wind. When snow had begun to fall, it only made things worse and decreased visibility more. However, it had not yet grown bad enough to totally block things out. At last, they had arrived. But, unfortunately, there had been no sign of Eva the entire time. Or if there had been a sign, it had long since been swept away by the wind or covered by fresh snow. If the weather continued to escalate, no one would be able to scale the mountain again within a few hours. In fact, if they wanted to make it down, it would best be advisable to go in and out of the palace as soon as possible.

With that in mind, Halvard began to dismount from here. The other's started to dismount with him. All of the humans bore weapons. Halvard himself was no exception, although he had only decided to bring a sword that he was given back in Arendelle. The humans in the group had brought crossbows, rifles, swords... all manner of weapons of war, as if they expected to go "on the hunt". To be honest, it unsettled him a bit and Halvard hoped that they wouldn't try to hurt Elsbeth.

Of course, his biggest attention was on the two men The Duke of Weselton had sent. In spite of the cold ride and bad weather, none of them had reacted once to any of it. Their faces remained stony and hard. And he noticed as soon as he began to dismount, they descended far quicker and got out their own crossbows far more readily. Halvard noticed they were the quicker-firing kind for shorter range as well... like something someone would use more against someone they were sneaking up behind rather than long range and he also noticed that they had tranquilizer needles. He made a mental note to not take his eyes off of them for a moment during this.

Once off, Halvard began to step through the snow closer to the castle. It had an air of beauty about it... definitely a grace and elegance. Even if he encountered this place on the ground or in the middle of a town of ice sculptors, he still would have thought it was Elsbeth's doing. There didn't appear to be any real defenses. Just two snow-covered rocks flanking a rather narrow staircase made of ice. It spanned a chasm that was definitely impassible otherwise. In other words, if there was any attack to be made, here was the best place for it. A bottleneck.

As the men came up behind him, Halvard put his hand on his sword hilt, and then turned back to them one more time.

"The priority here is Princess Eva. But if we should encounter Princess Elsbeth, she is to be taken alive and not harmed." Halvard reasserted.

There was heavy emphasis on the last word, and toward the two men The Duke of Weselton had sent. There was no dispute, or change in look from the two men. That said, Halvard inhaled, and then turned forward to start leading the way. He only got two steps before he ran into a "guard".

Abruptly, part of the snowpile on the left protruded and rotated; revealing a monstrous, twisted face with two deep "sockets" in the snow for eyes, creased in anger, and a cavernous, twisted mouth. Soon after, a thick, heavy arm with icicle claws slammed down on the ground, and pushed up the rest of it. By now, however, Halvard was staggering back, and the others were looking in alarm. Halvard himself stared in shock as the pile of snow before them rose and became the rough shape of some sort of troll, ogre, or monster, ice spikes protruding from its back and knees as well. It growled deeply at them, before swiveling around, brandishing its claws, and roaring loudly, letting out a blast of frosty air in warning.

Halvard was stunned. Elsbeth actually had the power to give herself a monstrous guardian like this? He began to hope greatly that there was only one of them... but nevertheless feared about how they were supposed to get by it as it moved in front of the stairs.

After pulling back, The Confederate Soldiers, and The Duke of Weselton's men, raised their rifles and crossbows and opened fire. Halvard nearly shouted out to stop. What good would that do? The monster had no vitals, even eyes, and was made only of snow and ice. Sure enough, it swept one of its large arms before it to act as a shield, and several of the bolts landed in it. However, the beast didn't cry out as they sank inside, and once they had, it brought its arm down and bellowed even louder and in more rage than before. As it did, its existing spikes and claws grew longer yet, with smaller ones erupting out of its arms and back beyond it. If that wasn't enough, blue light began to shine out from within its eye sockets as the mouth filled with icicle teeth in jagged, irregular positions. Soon after, it began to stomp forward in fury.

Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed saw this and they attempted to attack it by swiping their claws at it. However, the snow creature merely looked down at the hyena trio as the claws didn't hurt him. He then swiped at them and Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed were sent flying back.

At that point, The Confederate Soldiers moved to flank the snow ogre. The Duke of Weselton's men, however, proved to be closer, and tried to dart in from the side to open fire at its eyes. Yet when they fired two more bolts, the maddened beast just let them sink in and continued to stomp forward, before swinging out one of its arms hard at them. The blow connected with a resounding smack, and both men were flung back at once and they smashed into the other snowpile at the entrance. They were fortunate. Anywhere else would have sent them into solid rock or off the mountaintop. As it was, both merely peeled off and landed back on the ground, stunned but seemingly not permanently damaged.

"Get the ropes!" Halvard shouted.

The Duke of Weselton's men slowly began to recover, and as they did they looked up and past the guardian. After all, by now, he had advanced far enough to where there was a pathway on that side clear to the staircase as they looked up, they caught just a glimpse of the front doors opened and a woman in icy blue clothes looked out for a moment, before gasping and shooting back inside.

Their own looks grew cold as they quickly got to their feet. Seizing their window of opportunity, they immediately tore past the guardian and for the stairs. They managed to reach it rather quickly, and soon were shooting up it.

Halvard caught this in spite of the fact he was being stared down, along with the others, by the snow ogre. Yet he couldn't get to them. Suddenly, a Confederate Soldier threw a long stick that was attached to a line and it managed to embed in one of the monster's shoulders. The Confederate Soldier on the other side tried to give it a pull to put it off balance, but the thing merely roared and snapped its arm back, dragging the soldier forward and threatening to yank him over the cliff. Halvard had to quickly jump out and on top of him to stop his progress, but when he did, the snow ogre seemed to realize that it had grown "lax in security", and began to back up again, making it impossible for anyone else to chase after the two men who were already nearing the front doors.

Halvard stared a moment and tried to think. What now?

* * *

A newer, and yet very much unwanted, sensation of fear was soon flowing through Elsbeth. Men were coming to kill her and she didn't know what to do.

_"What if that thing I made kills them all? Then I'll be a mass murderer! But... but what if it doesn't kill them all?"_ Elsbeth thought.

She didn't have time to answer that question. It was about to be answered for her. She looked to the front doors and began to see shadows streaked against it. The two men who had spotted her while she was outside. They were The Duke of Weselton's men. She remembered that much. They were coming up here right now... to murder her, right in her own ice palace.

Elsbeth turned and raced up the stairs as fast as she could. She was back at the balcony when she heard blows strike her front doors so severely that one of them was shattered off of its hinges and fell in. With intent to fire and kill immediately, the two men came in, both of their weapons out and aimed. They both scanned the first floor momentarily, before looking up. They were just in time to see Elsbeth began to shoot up the second flight of stairs. Not wasting a second, both of them split for separate circular stairs and began to pursue. She soon heard footsteps not her own echoing up after her. Hours earlier, they would have only slipped and slid back down the stairs. But as her emotions had grown out of the control, the flawless ice had turned rough enough for them to gain traction.

It wasn't until Elsbeth reached the upper room that she realized how stupid her choice had been. There was nowhere to escape in here. Granted, there was no way to escape outside, either. She had built her palace with the intention that she'd be the only person who would ever use it, who would ever be able to endure the cold to go up to live there. Not to defend it from attack. All that was there was her window, now shut tight, overlooking the outer balcony and the chasm. She was trapped.

As fear continued to surge inside of her, she moved out closer and closer to the center, feeling like a helpless little girl. She looked around, trying to think, but it was useless. She was petrified. She was overrun by the emotions she had let go into her. She actually forgot her power and thought of herself as just being a small, vulnerable, hiding girl. And as she thought of this, she heard the sounds of the men come up the last few stairs. She snapped around, and was just in time to see both of them, crossbows out and aimed, staring at her as they ran into the chamber. Elsbeth swallowed as she looked at them, visibly trembling. Nervously, she began to hold her hands up in a mixture of a halting gesture as well as "surrender".

"L... look. Please... just... just stay... stay ba..." Elsbeth began to say.

She saw one of the men pull their trigger, however she didn't see the tranquilizer needles. Where fear and feelings of weakness had held her back before, sheer instinct saved her. She thought of only one thing as that trigger went off and she heard a bow snap. She wanted it to stop. As a result, instantly, before her held-out palm, a wall of ice formed. In a split second, she had a crystalline barrier up before her body. Even so, she winced. She nearly shut her eyes completely and recoiled, expecting pain, expecting blood, expecting the feeling of a bolt, but she felt nothing.

As a result, she let her eyes open again. They widened. The bolt was suspended right in front of her body. It had become trapped instantly when the ice formed around it. Yet the point was still aimed at its intended target. It had been her, of course. She slowly looked up again, and saw the men already moving. One of them tossed a fresh needle to his companion, and soon they spread out to flank her from both sides. She realized what they were doing: trying to shoot her from opposites directions at the same time. She wouldn't be able to block that.

* * *

By now, outside, the ropes had somehow managed to get tied around the legs of the creature, but no one could do anything else about them. Three Confederate Soldiers had seized one of the ropes at one time, but had been powerless to even make the creature stumble. All other weapons were useless and soon wouldn't even be good for holding it back. The beast was holding back, making sure to stay near the stairs. As Halvard glared at it angrily, he realized all of this was taking far too long. There was no telling what was going on in the palace already, but for all he knew that Elsbeth might already be dead. Her... or the two men... in which case her own fate would be sealed regardless.

_"I have to get past this monster...right now." _Halvard thought.

However, he hadn't been idle during this time. He had been watching the thing, and had learned for all of its strength and seeming invulnerability, it was relying on its reach to get to people. It wasn't fast enough on its own. Not only that, but it was ungainly, like a twisted construct or "experiment" at a guardian, nothing perfect. It was too large and awkward, especially after growing its new "additions". With that in mind, he had an idea. Drawing the sword, he gritted his teeth and ran in for the monster.

Predictably, it allowed itself to advance a step or two, snarling and growling at him all the way. However, Halvard was specifically going for its right side, the side closest to the stairs. The monster seemed to realize that, and reared back its massive icy claws with the intention of swinging them out and batting him away. Yet he kept running forward undaunted, all the way until he got within striking range. At that point, the snow ogre swung its heavy claw at him and it sailed right over him as Halvard quickly dropped to the ground and rolled to the side, feeling a chilly gust as the claw went over his head. Halvard, knowing he had only a moment, quickly landed on his feet and sprung up again. Giving a cry, while the monster was still realizing what he had done and was swinging his claw, not yet balanced enough to counter with his other one, he darted forward, grasped the sword hilt with both hands, and then swung out for the snow portion of one of the monster's legs. This was not only "soft", but also one of the thinnest parts of the thing. The sword sank into and through, cleaving the leg of the monster clean off of its body. The effect worked. The beast had just recovered enough to start bringing its opposite claw back, when it suddenly had no support from one of its legs. The joint region of the severed stump moved a bit, but all in all was helpless to do anything as the inertia carried the snow ogre backward. It staggered, vainly trying to hop on its remaining leg, but it had swung too far back... over and into the chasm. And Halvard wasn't exactly waiting around to see if it would recover. With the way now cleared, he immediately began to charge up the ice stairs.

Charles, Camden, Rapunzel, Shenzi, Banzai, Ed, and The Confederate Soldiers likewise seeing the way clear, dashed after him. As the center of gravity moved over the hole, and the snow creature seemed to realize in whatever it had for a brain that it was now hopeless, that it was going to fall in no matter what, it did one "last hurrah". Leaping with all the strength it could muster in its remaining leg, its claw shot out and reached for Halvard as he ran up. Much to his shock, although this move sent it over the chasm, Halvard also realized it was going to make contact with him. He couldn't go back, and he couldn't outstrip it either. With only moments to react, he did the only thing he could and flattened himself against the stairs, trying to get to one side.

A moment later, the claw came down, smashing through the railing, half the steps, and managing to hook into Halvard's clothes enough to yank him off of the icy steps and over the chasm himself. His eyes widened before he reached up and seized the stairs with all the force he could muster. The claws, luckily, slipped out as easily as they went in, and giving one last defiant roar, the icy beast flailed as it sank into the chasm, soon vanishing into the shadows and darkness far below, its last noise slowly swallowed up by the wind.

As for Halvard, somehow he had managed to reach out enough to cling onto the steps, which were just rough enough to provide enough for him to hold onto. Mercifully, the ice stairs still held even with this section missing a good part of it. Soon after, he managed to grunt and get one of his gloved hands to a pole. On grabbing on, he strained to pull himself up, just as Camden and Rapunzel arrived to assist him. He quickly took their hands with his other and let them start yanking him upward onto the higher stairs.

"Hurry! I think Elsbeth's in danger!" Halvard said between gritted teeth.

* * *

Back inside, one of the men managed to get far enough to risk giving a shot. Both of them were oblivious to the fact that Elsbeth was no longer trembling. In fact, her look had gotten much stronger and bolder... as well as darker. Her lips had stiffened while her eyes had begun to glare out as icy as the very snows she commanded. At any rate, he lifted his bow to fire.

However, a hand gesture was even quicker. Immediately, Elsbeth snapped her hand at him, her fingers extended. A moment later, the man's own cold look broke into one of fear as not one, not two, but five monstrous, perfect icicles, each one as large around at the base as a man's torso, erupted from the floor and shot into him with such violence and force that his companion froze and gasped, thinking for a moment that his partner had just been impaled on the ice. Sure enough, four of the icicles did rip him into the air, going through the shoulder and hip regions of his clothing and proceeded to slam him into one of the columns so hard he was stunned and soon literally "pinned" to it. Yet he didn't let his head hang. Soon, he lifted it up and pressed back as hard as he could, gazing fearfully in front of him. That was because the fifth icicle had formed a deadly, sharp tip that slowly extended out to his neck, threatening to pierce it straight through if he let himself relax even an inch.

Continuing to hold her hand at him, giving him one last icy, cruel glare, Elsbeth's eyes flicked about, toward his companion who was still free. The man hesitated, genuinely showing a wave of true fear. For a moment, he didn't look whether he should keep moving, now that Elsbeth's eyes were firmly on him, or if he should run for it. The woman glared at him, dark thoughts filling her head.

_"How does it feel to be trapped, little man? Shivering from fear? Or shivering in that wool garment from cold, so fragile and weak from a little ice and snow..."_ Elsbeth thought.

She slowly began to raise her hand toward him, her fingers extended as she did so. He stiffened again, and seemed even more indecisive.

Suddenly, she swept her hand up. Right at the moment when the man finally made a decision and chose to abandon his companion and run for the door. However, before he could go even a step, a wall of ice sprang up in his path. If that wasn't enough, it immediately sprouted spikes in his direction, "reaching" for the man as they formed. He immediately turned and tried to run the other way. However, Elsbeth only needed to make a second gesture to instantly create a second ice wall, also lined with spikes. Now, the man was trapped. Positioned right in front of the doors to the balcony between two walls. Elsbeth turned her fingers again, creating a third ice wall, this one right in between her and the man. This one, however, didn't become lined with spikes, and didn't stay put either. Rather, it immediately began to slide forward toward the person. In moments, it reached him, and once it did it began to push him toward the closed doors. He must have had at least some idea of the layout of the palace, for he immediately pushed back. But his strength was nothing compared to Elsbeth's will. She needed only want the ice block to keep moving forward, and all mortal power in the world wouldn't be able to hold it back. As he backed his whole body into it, it didn't even slow. He soon reached the doors, and on doing so he pressed himself more against it and raised his legs, putting them out against the frame.

_"That won't work."_ Elsbeth thought as she simply added a bit more force, and soon the entire frame crackled, splintered, and then shattered completely. The doors swung out and down and immediately landed on the railing. With one move, they shattered it as well, removing the last barrier between the man and the chasm beyond. He made one last attempt on the balcony to go to either side, but Elsbeth had thought of that. There were already two walls on either side of him lined with spikes. Not terribly big. Not enough to stop him from being desperate enough to jump over them, but enough to keep him stunned until it was too late. Soon, the window of opportunity was closed, and all the man could do was press himself against the ice wall as he went down to three feet of walking space left.

_"How does it feel to stare death in the face?"_ Elsbeth thought.

Two feet were left.

_"With no way out?"_ Elsbeth thought.

One foot was left as the toes slowly went over the edge.

At the same time, the icicle was now resting lightly on the skin of the other man. Just the teeniest, tiniest amount of pressure more, and the tip of that icicle would be streaked with vermillion. Any more than that and it would begin to slide inside the man's windpipe.

It was then, like a voice calling her out of a dream, she heard someone.

"Princess Elsbeth!" a voice shouted.

Elsbeth snapped her head to the source, finding herself looking back to the door. She soon saw him: the man from two nights ago. The one Eva had brought before her: Sir Halvard Willows of The United Kingdom. But behind him, she saw Charles, Camden, Rapunzel, Shenzi, Banzai, Ed, and The Confederate Soldiers. None of them were moving and they merely stood there and stared at her... both hands extended, either hand holding a man's life in it, more or less.

In spite of her feelings of anger and her darker feelings of superiority that she had allowed to intrude into her thoughts and heart for the first time, something began to override her at that point... something more fundamental and less heated. Halvard looked intently at her, taking only one more step.

"Don't do this." Halvard said.

Elsbeth held. She looked almost apoplectic. Her face softened to show neither anger or release. It merely turned, slowly, back to what she was doing. Neither piece of ice moved any further, but she looked. One man, panicked, helpless, pinned to a wall with icy death pointed at his neck. Another man, flush against a piece of ice that might as well have been a mortuary slab, one she could almost hear beginning to mutter pleas and begging.

She stared at what was literally a hair's breadth away from killing two people. She could see the look in their eyes, the fear, the horror. She could almost see Eva watching her... or somewhere far from there... learning that she had killed two helpless men. Ones who were no longer armed or in a position to hurt her, murdered in cold blood, murdered just to get a sense of superiority, of dominion over their lives and to flex her new-found muscles.

At once, she let out a panicked, terrified gasp as she lowered both of her hands.

_"What am I doing? I'm not a murderer!"_ Elsbeth thought.

Elsbeth was shaking again as she fully came back to her senses. How would she have ever looked at herself in a mirror ever again? How could she have lived with herself? How could she have ever shut her eyes and not seen her parents looking at her with expressions of shock and terror? One moment, she had literally been an instant away from sealing her fate forever as the worst thing she always feared becoming from her powers.

She didn't see this, but Halvard and everyone else both trembled as well as they let out exhales of relief. Not one of them hadn't believed, deep down in their heart of hearts, that she might have actually done it anyway. But the situation was over and diffused.

Halvard began to compose himself and he ran a hand through his hair, trying to think of what to do from here. Then he caught it in his peripheral vision. The one "staked" to the column still had his crossbow and he still had it loaded. And right now, while Elsbeth was distraught and not looking anywhere near him, he was raising it up and pointing it at her arm.

Instantly, Halvard took off like a shot for him.

"No!" Halvard shouted.

Elsbeth snapped her own head up at this, and turned to look to see what the alarm was. But if there was any fear of her having a reprisal, it was gone now. All she could do was let out a small exhale on seeing the crossbow pointed at her and the trigger depressed... right before Halvard slammed into it and quickly wrenched it skyward.

The bolt still loosed and flew through the air, however, and made contact as well. In truth, it was a one-in-a-hundred shot, especially from this angle, but it made it just the same. The bolt sailed right through the icy "leaves" in the grand chandelier that Elsbeth had made, before striking the thin ice rod that suspended the entire assembly from the ceiling. It shattered it a moment later, and, in a second seeming to be slowed by the perpetual cold all around, the entire chandelier began to descend at once.

Elsbeth didn't watch it for more than an instant which itself was nearly too long. She turned and ran for the entrance, barely avoiding the first bit of the chandelier smashing into where she had been standing a moment ago. She missed the second tier just barely a moment later, but it continued to come down, and tilted on the floor after her. She struggled to keep going, but the litter all over the ground made her lose her footing. She spilled forward, crying out slightly, right before the rest of the masterwork ice fell down around her, and as a heavy piece struck her head, the world vanished into blackness with a sound like a million frozen fractals shattering into a billion pieces of dust.


	26. The Act Of True Love

**Chapter 26: The Act Of True Love**

Elsbeth didn't remember the last time she had slept. Had she slept while in the ice palace? She never remembered making a bedroom. Did she even need sleep now? Or did her power over cold remove her body's need for rest just as it had removed her body's need for food? She didn't know. Only that as she slowly came to, she felt she was in a bed. Enough for her to think, if for only a brief moment, that it had all been a terrible dream.

But this wasn't her room. She was a room in the palace in Arendelle. Her head was on a pillow and her body was covered with a blanket. Her eyes slowly opened and Elsbeth let out a groan, feeling a pain through her head. While she may not have needed to bother with the "needs of the body" anymore, she realized now that her body was just as frail as that of any other human being. The bump she felt rising was clear enough evidence of that. As she sat up, pushing the blanket off of her, she looked over herself and found she was still clad in her clothes that were made of ice. It served to confirm one unfortunate thing to her: her powers would work whether she was unconscious or awake now. But she knew that she had been taken alive.

Looking around a bit, still trying to get her bearings, she finally rose from the bed and she rose to her feet and looked at the window. The only thing she could immediately tell was snow was blowing and blowing hard. Much harder than when the snow began to fall back at her palace.

Soon, she walked toward the window, wanting to see what it looked like out there.

What she saw was not a welcome sight.

Eva had been right. The fjord was completely frozen, but that wasn't the half of it. The ice had grown thicker and heavier. The sea itself... the very ocean... might as well have been a frozen, snowy landscape with as far as it went into a whiteout. She could only see a few houses from Arendelle itself, but they were completely lost under thick snowdrifts. No one walked the streets. How could they? Outside no longer looked like a Norwegian waste. It looked more like one from Siberia, Greenland, or the Arctic. Frozen, dark, and inhospitable... incapable of supporting any life. No one could even risk venturing out in this anymore for a few minutes if only to gather firewood

It was all her fault.

"What have I done?" Elsbeth whispered

The sound of a hinge turning rang out. Elsbeth spun around, and was just in time to see Halvard step into the room and shut the door behind him. Elsbeth stared at him a moment. He was the one at the palace too. Eva had to have told him to help Abigail, Logan, George, and Tamara. He was already her fiancé, after all. However, she realized she was indebted to him. If he hadn't called out when he had. That was enough to put away her earlier anger toward him for encouraging Eva's hasty decision. And he saved her life the last she saw him. Maybe she had been wrong about him in at least a few senses.

"Why did you bring me here?" Elsbeth finally asked after a moment, beginning to walk up to him.

"I couldn't just let them hurt you. But I don't know how much longer I can keep them at bay. You can see what's going on outside? It's only been getting worse. Some of them think it's the only way to stop it." Halvard responded.

"I need to talk to my sister. I need to tell her that..." Elsbeth responded.

"Your sister never came back to Arendelle." Halvard cut off. He then said "Eva's been missing ever since shortly after you ran off. She went out looking for you.".

Elsbeth stopped in her tracks. She took this in a moment as new fear, seemingly the only thing she would ever feel for the rest of her life (however short that would likely be), filled her. She was still out there... still out in this weather. Out in something soon no one would be able to survive in. Why hadn't she come back? She had told her to return to Arendelle and she obviously hadn't tried to get back in the palace.

_"That incident upstairs. She was grasping... for her heart!"_ Elsbeth thought.

Elsa's hands clenched uncomfortably and she continued to look down.

Halvard exhaled and stepped a bit closer, his breath coming out in white puffs while Elsbeth's remained clear.

"Look, if you could just... stop this winter. Bring back summer. It would make everything so much easier." Halvard said.

Elsbeth's eyes closed as she exhaled helplessly.

"Don't you see? Don't any of you realize it yet?" Elsbeth asked. She turned her head to him with a look of genuine sorrow and helplessness and she said "I can't.".

It was not a refusal but undeniably the tone of someone who could not do something. As Halvard looked back at her, he soon made it clear he understood that.

She neared him a bit more.

"You have to let me go." Elsbeth stated with grave seriousness. She then said "If I'm in here, it's only going to get worse and worse. But... but maybe if I run away, as far as I can, I'll be too far to do this to this world."

Halvard looked back silently for a few seconds. Finally, he gave a tired exhale.

"I'll do what I can." Halvard finally answered.

With that, he turned and began to walk back out of the room once again. Elsbeth was left standing there, staring at his back as he did so, until he reached the door. Once there, however, he paused a moment before reaching for the handle. He turned back to her soon afterward.

"Princess Elsbeth... none of us know how far is 'far enough'. None of us know if this is just Arendelle, just this world, just The Disney Universe... or just the real world. Some of those who think it's far-reaching, farther than you could ever hope to run, are the delegates gathered in the castle who are deciding what we're going to do with you." Halvard said.

Elsbeth stared back, feeling herself stiffening a bit inside on hearing that.

"I'm just warning you in advance." Halvard finished regretfully, before turning away again, pulling open the door, and then stepping through it and closing it.

Elsbeth knew full well what Halvard had meant by that. Even if Sir Halvard ended up defending her, in the end he was just another delegate. Only Abigail, Logan, George, Tamara, Lucy, and Eva could override any decision they would make. Without them, she knew that she probably had seen her last sunset. As the weather only grew worse, even the more merciful delegates weren't going to let people die to give her a chance at life.

Furthermore, did she really want them not to do it? She had thought for so long about the chance of her power hurting just one person... and now it was hurting everyone. There was a chance that her dying could save thousands. This was a world full of men, women, and children. People with families. Aged loved ones. Newborn babies. She couldn't sentence them to death on something that might not even work. Yet in spite of all of that, Elsbeth realized she honestly didn't want to die. She had come too close to death to long for it so soon. And she didn't want to breathe her last unless she did one last thing first, made sure Eva was safe.

* * *

The feeling of weakness continued to linger over Eva, especially the longer she stayed outside. While the horse had run tirelessly for hours, never slipping, never panting more than his same, steady breathing, the fact remained that she had still been out in the ever-worsening cold. Elsa had tried to make her as comfortable as possible, but with the limited means available to them, Eva had only very slowly progressively gotten colder and weaker, shivering against Elsa as she carried her before her, every so often pulling her cloak around her again.

Right now, Eva's eyes were closed. Yet sleep was impossible, no matter how tired and weakened she felt. She was too cold. Elsa had tried to keep her warmer earlier by pulling her closer to her own body, but that wouldn't help now. Eva was in front of her on the horse, and not very protected against wind chill and she was freezing from the inside, as opposed to the outside.

As they ran along, Elsa felt fear in her heart. She cared about Eva, and she feared that they'd be too late. Eva's hair was now entirely white, her skin and clothes were lined with frost, and her fingers were starting to turn a transparent blue color.

However, as they came up one last ridge and began to go into a faster slope, she saw it. The frozen fjord up ahead, and built around it were the walls and gates of Arendelle and the castle rising up from it, blanketed with snow like everywhere else. It was for the castle that the horse immediately changed his course and ran full speed toward. As they were headed downhill, they actually were able to pick up some steam. They continued to race together until they neared the outskirts of town. Elsa led the horse right through the outer gates. Not a problem. By now, whatever in the city wasn't covered with snow was coated with frost. It was the middle of the day, but one would hardly tell from the gray-white skies and bleak atmosphere. There were no guards posted anymore. The people had shut up their houses and were burning the last bit of firewood right now. Nothing stopped them as the horse ran through the city streets and the bridge gate, tore against the stone walkway, making snow fly all the way, and finally went right up to the main gates.

There had to be someone still watching, with spyglasses from windows if nothing else, because when the horse finally ground to a halt and Elsa and Lucy dismounted, quickly pulling Eva off as well and rushing up to the gates, they were already opening up, or at least, the service entrance was. Elsa and Lucy didn't have to call either, it seemed, as a trio of castle servants immediately appeared at the door and began to exit. They reacted in surprise to Elsa and Lucy but more importantly the woman they were helping.

Elsa and Lucy immediately carried her forward to them.

"Here! Get her inside!" Lucy said as she and Elsa helped Eva over to the servants. Eva was a bit wobbly, but apparently still had enough strength to stand and walk. And soon, the servants were around her.

"Get her warm and find Sir Halvard at once!" Lucy said as she and Elsa started to walk through the gate into the courtyard.

"We will." one of the servants said.

In moments, the servants were beginning to fret over Eva. All they needed to do was touch her to realize she felt like ice, and they immediately started to take her back towards the castle, muttering further about getting her in front of a fire.

"And make sure she stays warm!" Elsa said as the servants and Eva went on ahead.

However, they only went a few more steps before halting. Elsa and Lucy nearly shouted at them before they saw the reason. Eva, still trembling and looking weak, nevertheless turned back to them and managed a smile.

"T-Thank you... f-for everything." Eva said.

Elsa and Lucy looked at her and they managed to give a weak smile of their own. Eva then turned forward again and everyone walked inside.

* * *

By this point, almost all of the castle had been abandoned, in spite of the number of the servants. The only places that still held people was wherever there were fireplaces. One of them was the royal study, which currently had a fire that had just been started, as well as lights from the candles. Gregory and five of the delegates were currently gathered there. Sir Halvard was also there and he was one of the people who had elected to remain in the castle when they learned that Princess Elsbeth was being held there.

For now, there was still a semblance of order in the castle. The servants were still running about conducting their affairs, and the delegates still held up with decorum. However…that wasn't going to last. The shelter had fallen through, and after the latest assessment, based on how much was gathered yesterday and how much was being consumed just as quickly, the kingdom only had about six more hours of firewood in it. After that, the last load would have been thrown on the hearths, and fires would be burning low for the last time. Perhaps the kingdom could get by a little longer on broken furniture, but no one could go out and cut. It was clear that more decisive action was needed, but there was no one to give it.

As for Halvard himself, he was pacing in front of the fire at the moment, clenching and releasing his hands every few seconds.

"What did Elsbeth say when you asked her to stop this winter?" Gregory asked.

Halvard paused in his steps, looking at him, but then exhaled.

"She said she couldn't." Halvard said.

"Couldn't or wouldn't?" the delegate from France snapped in response.

"It doesn't really make a difference unless your option is considered, sir. And, frankly, the idea of coming in and committing regicide on foreign soil without proper cause is appalling to me." the delegate from Australia responded darkly.

"Without proper cause?" the delegate from Greece asked. He then said "Have you looked outside lately? Last I looked, there's no law on any book, anywhere, to consider 'bringing about winter' a 'capital offense'.".

Halvard, at this point, swung one of his fists down. Turning fully forward, he shook his head and began to advance.

"It's been too long. I'm going out there again. I don't ask for volunteers this time. I'll go by myself if I have to." Halvard said, while walking to the door.

However, his path was immediately cut off as the delegates from Sweden and Spain stepped in front of him.

"Sir Halvard, no! We can't risk losing you too!" the delegate from Sweden immediately stated.

"If anything happens to Princess Eva..." Halvard began to protest.

"If anything happens to Princess Eva, then you will have to take her place." the delegate from Spain cut off.

Halvard held here a moment. He seemed to think over these things, bowing his head and reconsidering. However, while he was still thinking, the doors to the room suddenly flew open. This caused Halvard, Gregory, and the delegates to look up, just in time to see Megan enter the room.

"She's back! Princess Eva has returned!" Megan said.

At once, there was surprise and commotion from inside the room at this revelation. Halvard himself looked up for a moment, but then quickly began to move through the crowd for the door. Megan stepped to one side and went on.

"But, she's so cold! She's just like ice!" Megan said.

Soon, Emily and Jennifer came in, bringing Eva with them. Sure enough, she didn't look too well at the moment. In fact, she seemed rather frail and sickly looking, barely able to walk forward on her own two feet. She was shivering all over, and all of her hair was white, although the surrounding delegates assumed instinctively that this was frost.

Halvard, however, who immediately advanced on Eva as she entered, soon saw more clearly that it was her hair color, something which made him react in a bit of shock. As the delegates began to show their own signs of respect, he alone started to move again and soon received her from Megan, Emily, and Jennifer. Sure enough, on touching her, she felt cold as the grave.

"Eva!" Halvard said as he moved to fully take over support of her.

However, Eva, on seeing Halvard holding her, immediately reached out as well, almost ravenously, and put her arms around him too. Her eyes widened and looked into his with a sudden ferocity.

"Halvard, you have to kiss me." Eva said in between her shivers.

Halvard blinked a few times at that.

"Eva, wh..." Halvard asked.

"Now!" Eva cut off with sudden force.

This sudden response, the first thing she said on entering the room, immediately caused no small amount of confusion, and even unease, among everyone. Gregory, Megan, Emily, Jennifer, and the delegates looked at her with slightly puzzled expressions, wondering if the princess had been that "love starved" or was that much of a "ball of hormones" that this seemed to be such a desperate thought on her mind the moment she walked in.

On hearing it, and seeing the nearly wild look in her eyes, Jennifer gave a somewhat weak smile as she looked up at both Halvard and Eva together.

"We'll just give you two a little time alone." Jennifer said, before immediately looking to the others with a stern expression and motioning them toward the door.

"I believe we shall excuse ourselves as well." the delegate from Australia added, soon moving to gesture the others out.

As for Halvard, now that he had Eva, he immediately leaned down and picked her up to carry her. He turned and let a few people pass before he made for the couch in front of the fire, laying Eva on it. As the others continued to file out, he looked more intently at her.

"What happened out there? You're freezing!" Halvard asked.

"It was my s-s-sister." Eva explained, shivering again now that she was speaking more quietly.

The cold inside her felt so bitter now.

"S-S-She d-d-did this to me." Eva said.

Halvard reacted in shock as the last delegate left the room and closed the door behind him.

"You told me she'd never hurt you." Halvard said.

"I was wrong." Eva answered uneasily.

Eva touched her chest with her hand and she said "She struck me with her power and froze my heart. I heard only an act of true love can thaw it.".

Halvard stared a moment, then suddenly raised a bit.

"A true love's kiss." Halvard said, realizing what she meant.

Eva nodded back.

"A kiss from my one true love." Eva slowly answered.

Hearing that, Halvard looked to her momentarily, and then began to lean inward. His gloved hand slowly reached out and gently touched her chin, and the fingers came out to slowly cup it. He stared longingly into Eva's eyes for a second, and then closed his own and began to lean toward her. Eva, on seeing this, closed her own eyes and began to stick her lips out to receive it. She felt Halvard draw closer and she could feel his warmth and his breathing over them.

Halvard then pressed his lips against hers. Eva's lips were so numb that she barely felt him, but she did feel the warmth that spread outward from her heart into the rest of her body. Eva opened her eyes and she looked down at her hands and saw that her fingers were no longer blue and frozen, and after examining her braid, she saw that her hair was returning to its usual dark purple, save for the white streak that ran through it. She smiled and looked up at Halvard.

"It worked, Halvard!" Eva exclaimed.

Halvard saw that and he smiled and let out a little laugh.

"We should go tell the others." Eva said.

Halvard nodded and Eva got up and they ran out of the room.


	27. The End Of A Winter

**Chapter 27: The End Of A Winter**

Logan let out an angry grumble to himself. He, Abigail, George, Tamara, and most of the delegates had relocated to the meeting hall. There was a larger fireplace there, although, to save wood, only part of it was stoked. The windows were also already open, the glass overlooking the snowy landscape, and were rapidly being shuttered by the castle servants.

"It's getting colder by the minute out there! If we don't do something soon, we'll all freeze! I don't think we have the resources to last through another night!" Tamara insisted.

In spite of how tired and repeated this was, after hearing it so many times, after this latest news regarding Princess Eva, and with things growing worse and bleaker outside, even those who held the greatest esteem began to balk. They started to realize it wasn't worth people beginning to die and none of them were sure how many more hours it would be until that started to happen. The mixture of the unnatural situation and the distressing news was beginning to work against them.

Yet at length, they were all distracted when the door to the room opened. Everyone looked forward and saw Halvard and Eva run into the room.

When she saw Eva run into the room, Tamara got up and she ran over to Eva's side and hugged her.

"Eva, are you feeling alright?" Tamara asked.

"Yes mom." Eva said.

The delegates from Canada and Denmark immediately began to lead Halvard to the nearest chair.

What on Earth happened?" the delegate from Denmark asked Halvard and Eva.

Eva looked at everyone and she told them everything that happened after she had left. When she was done, everyone nodded.

George looked at Halvard and he said "Thank you for saving my daughter.".

Halvard looked at him and he said "Your welcome.".

"So, how are we going to end this winter?" Abigail asked.

Eva and Halvard looked at each other and then they turned their attention back to everyone else.

"I think me and Halvard have an answer." Eva said.".

* * *

Elsbeth wasn't sure how much time she had left but she knew she had to get out of here. It had been quiet for too long. She found it hard to believe that Halvard would be able to say anything to dissuade everyone. However, she knew something else too.

Outside the wind was picking up again, and snow was starting to fall.

She was fearing for her life again as well as the safety of everyone. And she was feeling more fear, distress, and despair than she had ever experienced before. She knew that, as a result, the storm would flare again. This time it wouldn't be flurries. It wouldn't be an overcast day with a steady snow. It was going to be much worse. She could almost feel the air already breeding a storm and she knew that she had to get out of there now, as fast and far as she could. And she had to do so soon.

As she began to fret and feel more afraid, she heard something. Crackling overhead. She looked up, and soon let out a gasp. Frost was beginning to line the ceiling above her. It was her power. It was expanding out of control again, beginning to coat the inside of the room. No doubt, the temperature had to have just plunged in the room. As distressed as she was, this frost would soon begin to line other halls and it would expand throughout the entire castle. It might kill people.

A moment later, she heard a door open. She snapped her head up and she saw Halvard as he opened the door and walked in.

"Princess Elsbeth." Halvard said.

"What do you want?" Elseth asked.

"Princess Eva had returned." Halvard said.

Elsbeth's eyes widened and she asked "Is Eva alright.".

Halvard sighed and he briefly told Elsbeth what Eva went through.

"I almost hurt her?" Elsbeth asked.

Halvard nodded.

"But, she's fine now and I'm here to bring you to her." Halvard said.

Elsbeth smiled and they walked out of the room.

* * *

When Elsbeth went back to the others, she saw Eva and she hugged her.

"Eva, are you actually alright?" Elsbeth asked.

"Yes, I'm fine." Eva said.

"How did your heart thaw?" Elsbeth asked.

"Halvard kissed me, which was an act of true love." Eva said.

At once, it hit Elsbeh.

Suddenly, Elsbeth ran outside and Eva, Abigail, Logan, George, Tamara, Lucy, and Halvard ran after her.

When they caught up to her, Elsbeth was standing on the bridge and facing the town. Elsbeth took a few steps from Eva and the others, who were using the moment to come closer. Then, the queen closed her eyes and thought.

_"I love Eva and my family. I don't want them or anyone else to hurt or suffer anymore. I want my power only to reflect that love, my love, to them."_ Elsbeth thought.

With that, she held up her hands.

Immediately, the snow laying around on the frozen fjord began to rise, as if being drawn into it by a cosmic force. Abigail, Logan, George, Tamara, Lucy, Eva, and Halvard themselves gasped a bit and then did the same. But it wasn't just that. The ice itself covering the fjord began to break into flakes and rise as well.

Back in Arendelle, the effect was there too. The snow draping over all of the buildings and castle began to rise into to the air flake by flake. Luckily, it was a fast process. Soon, it was coming up in streams, rising far faster than it could have possibly fallen down. The pines surrounding the country began to groan in relief as the snowy weight was removed from them. Flowers that had long since been buried began to slowly emerge from under the snowdrifts. And soon, more people were beginning to step outside as the sun overhead shone brighter, and the air grew warmer.

On the fjord, ships groaned and rolled as well and landed back in the rapidly thawing water. As the ice grew thinner and thinner, they began to float once again it, freed from their own icy loads. As the air grew warmer and everyone's breath stopped misting, the country filled with color, warmth, and light again. All of the ice and snow gradually broke into nothing and vanished, and traced into the sky. As it started to run out, what was left was icy streams rising high into the air in faint traces, but it no longer mattered as the sun grew warmer and warmer. All of Arendelle was revealed again, from the lovely city to the spectacular castle. And everyone, from The Disney Characters and The Rugrats's children and their children in the city to the delegates at the balcony, gazed in wonder at the sight.

In spite of everything they had been through and as the snow pulled up and the warmth returned, they found themselves in awe of the beauty of seeing the white flakes drawn up and into the blue sky and the power Elsbeth displayed.

Elsbeth opened her eyes and made a few last faint gestures, drawing the snow into the air to form one magnificent, gigantic, crystal snowflake in the sky. Once there, she swung her hands forth and in a breaking motion, and instantly it shattered into millions of tiny pieces and vanished.

Summer had returned.

After a moment, Eva looked at Elsbeth who was still clothed in ice. She looked back and smiled at her, and Eva gave her a crafty grin of her own.

"I told you that you could do it." Eva said.

Elsbeth, in a rather uncharacteristic turn, let herself laugh.

Eva, at that point, at lat allowed herself to look away from Elsbeth and right to the large, approaching, young man nearing her. She looked up to Halvard for a moment with a smile of her own, before the two put their arms around each other and gave a strong embrace as well. Eva let her head lean against his chest for a moment as he lowered his around her.

"Don't ever scare me doing something like that again." Halvard told her.

"Believe me, I don't ever want to scare me doing something like that again." Eva responded.


	28. Epilogue

**Chapter 28: Epilogue**

After Elsbeth ended the eternal winter, the delegates forgave her and they left for their nations in the real world.

2 years after the eternal winter, Eva and Halvard got married. They eventually had a son: Leif.

Elsbeth eventually met a man named Jeffery Patterson and they got married. They eventually had a daughter and son: Yukiko and Axel.

Lucy eventually met a man named Aron Owens. They eventually had a son: Timothy.

Abigail, Logan, George, and Tamara ruled for 12 years until Lucy, Eva, Elsbeth, Aron, Halvard, and Jeffery went on to rule.

The children of The Rugrats's children also got married and started families.


	29. Credits

**Chapter 29: Credits**

Here is the cast of the people from all three parts of All Grown Up: 2nd Generation Rugrats:

* * *

Tommy- Elizabeth Daily

Chuckie- Nancy Cartwright

Lil- Kath Soucie

Phil- Kath Soucie

Angelica- Cheryl Chase

Susie- Cree Summer

Dil- Tara Strong

Kimi- Dionne Quan

Peter- Himself

Nicole- Lizzie Murray

Harold- Pat Musick

Stephen- Himself

Wendy- Herself

Adam- Himself

Rachael- Herself

Charles- Himself

Benjamin- Himself

Megan- Herself

Camden- Herself

Bob- Himself

Emily- Herself

Abigail- Herself

George- Himself

Logan- Himself

Beth- Herself

Jennifer- Herself

Gregory- Himself

Ashley- Herself

Danielle- Herself

James- Himself

Cody- Himself

Felicia- Herself

Johnny- Himself

Tamara- Herself

Miriam- Herself

Jacob- Himself

Jessica- Herself

Chelsea- Herself

Phillip- Himself

Jonathan- Himself

Susan- Herself

Alex- Himself

Lucy- Herself

Eva- Herself

Elsbeth- Herself

Halvard- Himself

Kira- Julia Kato

Chaz- Michael Bell

Lou Pickles- Joe Alaskey

General Frollo E. Lee- Himself

General Samuel Silver- Himself

General Gaston Beauregard- Himself

General Rick Sanchez- Himself

General Beth Rider- Herself

General Kent Miller- Himself

Delegates- Themselves

Cocoa LaBourche- Susan Sarandon

Vladimir Dallas- Himself

Stiles R. Gattling- Himself

Samuel Taylor- Himself

Zachory York- Himself

Diane- Herself

Robin- Himself

Mike- Himself

Denise- Herself

Lieutenant Hugo Cassadine- Himself

Private Kai Phillips- Himself

Corporal Dwayne Burns- Himself

Private Thomas Hunter- Himself

Corporal Adam Kearns- Himself

Sergeant Ryan Dennis- Himself

Sergeant Thomas Sedgwick- Himself

Colonel Seth Fawls- Himself

Maleficent- Eleanor Audley

Doctor Facilier- Keith David

Randall- Steve Buscemi

Mickey Mouse- Wayne Allwine

Minnie Mouse- Russi Taylor

The Beast/Prince Adam- Robby Benson

Jafar- Jonathan Freeman

Hades- James Woods

Anna- Kristen Bell

Kuzco- David Spade

Shenzi- Whoopi Goldberg

Banzai- Cheech Marin

Ed- Jim Cummings

Quasimodo- Tom Hulce

Rapunzel- Mandy Moore

Elsa- Idina Menzel

Radcliffe- David Ogden Stiers

Hans- Santino Fontana

Kocoum- James Apaumut Fall

Jack Sparrow- Johnny Depp

Jane- Minnie Driver

The Sultan- Douglas Seale

Clopin- Paul Kandel

Judge Claude Frollo- Tony Jay

Genie- Robin Williams

Ursula- Pat Carroll

The Duke of Weselton- Alan Tudyk

The Duke of Weselton's Men- _"Unknown"_

Phantom Blot- John O'Hurley

Prince Jeeki- _"Unknown"_

Gaston- Richard White

Lefou- Jesse Corti

Joanna- Frank Welker

Percival C. McLeach- George C. Scott

Doctor Doofenshmirtz- Dan Povenmire

Perry The Platyborg- Dee Bradley Baker

Rafiki- Robert Guillaume

Ling- Gedde Watanabe

Yao- Harvey Fierstein

Chien-Po- Jerry Tondo

Pabbie- Ciarán Hinds

Bulda- Maia Wilson

Marshmallow- Paul Briggs

Snow Creature- Himself

Zazu- Rowan Atkinson

Kiara- Neve Campbell

Kronk- Patrick Warburton

Elionwy- Susan Sheridan

Nala- Moira Kelly

John Smith- Mel Gibson

Jim Hawkins- Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Rourke- James Garner

Mary Niddala- Herself

Diego Houston- Himself

Gwen Trudy- Herself

Michel- Himself

Hugo- Himself

Resistance Fighters- Themselves

American Pilots- Themselves

American Paratroopers- Themselves

Nazis- Themselves

SS dog handler- Himself

SS Obersturmfuhrer Schultz- Himself

Peter the Great- Himself

Catherine the Great- Herself

Russian Guards- Themselves

Russian Rebels- Themselves

Odette Fox- Herself

The Watcher Of Dreams- Himself

Nightmare- Himself

Maria Mapplewood- Herself

William Maplewood- Himself

Zeston Melton Frost- Himself

Z Melton- Cara DeLizia


End file.
